courier

American  

[kur-ee-er, koor-] / ˈkɜr i ər, ˈkʊər- /

noun

• couriers
  plural

1. a messenger, usually traveling in haste, bearing urgent news, important reports or packages, diplomatic messages, etc.

2. any means of carrying news, messages, etc., regularly.

3. the conveyance used by a courier, as an airplane or ship.

4. Chiefly British. a tour guide for a travel agency.

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courier British  

/ ˈkʊərɪə /

noun

1. a special messenger, esp one carrying diplomatic correspondence

2. a person who makes arrangements for or accompanies a group of travellers on a journey or tour

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verb

1. (tr) to send (a parcel, letter, etc) by courier

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• couriers
  plural

Etymology

Origin of courier

1350–1400; < Middle French cour ( r ) ier < Italian corriere, equivalent to corr ( ere ) to run (< Latin currere ) + -iere < Latin -ārius -ary; replacing Middle English corour < Anglo-French cor ( i ) our, Old French coreor < Late Latin curritor runner; see current, -tor

Explanation

A courier is a person you trust with delivering important messages or packages. Let your mail carrier deliver your credit card bill and the form letter from the “Save the Orchids” foundation, but trust a courier with your book contract or birth certificate. Couriers are in a hurry. Do they saunter up your driveway the way a mail carrier does? No! Couriers are clearly on important business; they’re jogging. The word comes from a Latin word, currere, meaning “to run.” Nowadays, you might see couriers on bicycles, however, weaving in and out of traffic to deliver your messages on time.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

courier couriers

Regretting using a middleman for a courier service, however opportunistic you believe the company to be, is not — on the face of it — a good enough reason to cancel the charge.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 30, 2026

While many consumers feel the same way you do about these passport sites, they are billed as courier services.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 30, 2026

The company has an important role in the Russian economy, with small and medium businesses relying on the courier services.

From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026

After the ancient Greeks won the historic Battle of Marathon, a courier ran 25 miles to Athens to deliver the good news and, according to legend, dropped dead.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026

A Peekskill man, for example, although paid to be a courier for Burgoyne, handed the general’s message to the Americans.

From "George Washington, Spymaster" by Thomas B. Allen

To get one, operators would have to adhere to new safety, training and employment requirements, including hiring thousands of the city’s contract couriers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

"Along with a network of others, McKelvie, Sanderson and Tracey operated as couriers," he added.

From BBC ● Jun. 15, 2026

Additionally, the company said it now has more than 10 million global drivers and couriers, with active drivers up 21% from a year ago, despite higher gas prices.

From MarketWatch ● May 6, 2026

The National Security Agency also developed a behavioral profiling program, SKYNET, to identify Al Qaeda couriers in Afghanistan.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 4, 2026

Motorcycle couriers speed up to the mansion day and night, each with a new packet of Enigma messages.

From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin