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

Flights from New York City to Colorado Springs are about $250, and sending your dog with a courier would cost well over $1,000.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 29, 2026

The German courier company benefits from self-help measures including 1 billion euros of savings expected from its fit-for-growth program.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026

But the courier was sent home after a Customs and Border Protection agent stopped him at the Miami airport and got the letter.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 16, 2026

Speaking to the London Assembly, the City of London Police said some 40% of fraud victims nationally are in the capital, with the Met Police suggesting this includes 60% of all courier fraud cases..

From BBC ● Mar. 14, 2026

Then, the courier had arrived with his document, probably to announce the impending death of Lord Furnival.

From "Crispin: The Cross of Lead" by Avi

"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

Acting as couriers, they take up parcels of host bacterial DNA and deliver them to neighbouring bacteria.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 17, 2026

Soon we hear the sound of motorcycle couriers zipping into the Park.

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