delivery
Americannoun
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deliveries
plural
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the carrying and turning over of letters, goods, etc., to a designated recipient or recipients.
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a giving up or handing over; surrender.
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the utterance or enunciation of words.
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vocal and bodily behavior during the presentation of a speech.
a speaker's fine delivery.
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the act or manner of giving or sending forth.
the pitcher's fine delivery of the ball.
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the state of being delivered of or giving birth to a child; parturition.
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something delivered.
The delivery is late today.
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Commerce. a shipment of goods from the seller to the buyer.
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Law. a formal act performed to make a transfer of property legally effective.
a delivery of deed.
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Also called delivery end. Printing. the part of a printing press where the paper emerges in printed form.
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Archaic. release or rescue; liberation; deliverance.
noun
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the act of delivering or distributing goods, mail, etc
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something that is delivered
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( as modifier )
a delivery service
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the act of giving birth to a child
she had an easy delivery
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manner or style of utterance, esp in public speaking or recitation
the chairman had a clear delivery
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the act of giving or transferring or the state of being given or transferred
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the act of rescuing or state of being rescued; liberation
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sport
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the act or manner of bowling or throwing a ball
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the ball so delivered
a fast delivery
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an actual or symbolic handing over of property, a deed, etc
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the discharge rate of a compressor or pump
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(in South Africa) the supply of basic services to communities deprived under apartheid
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of delivery
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English delyvere, delyvery, from Anglo-French delivrée, noun use of feminine past participle of delivrer “to deliver,” with suffix assimilated to -ery; see deliver
Explanation
When you make a delivery, you bring something somewhere. A delivery can be in the form of something physical, as when you receive a delivery in the mail, or verbal, as in the delivery of a speech or address. Delivery once could only mean "the action of handing something to another," but it has a long history of being applied in other ways. The idea of childbirth as being a delivery came about in the 1570's, while the term was applied to a punch in the 1580's, and to throwing a ball in 1702. A verbal delivery is the manner in which a speech is presented. As a comedian, you know the importance of a good delivery — timing the punchline just right.
Vocabulary lists containing delivery
The SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 1
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The ACT Reading Test: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 1
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The New SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
DoorDash swallowed up premium delivery service Caviar in 2019, along with several logistics companies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026
The delivery services will keep operating as independent companies until the deal is concluded.
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026
“The biggest online retailers and grocers are racing ahead, building their own delivery fleets, warehouses, membership programs, and AI shopping assistants,” the companies said in their release.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 29, 2026
DoorDash said it struck a deal to buy food-delivery rival Instacart for about $17 billion in cash and stock, adding a major grocery delivery partner to its growing roster of services.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026
There was no hair, makeup, or wardrobe to be tended to, no marshaling of our children, no late-night speech being prepped for delivery.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
Overall vehicle deliveries fell 14.3 percent worldwide, driven by a collapse of almost 40 percent in China.
From Barron's ● Oct. 29, 2026
Making quieter drones isn't just about keeping the noise down for neighbours who are already sick of airborne deliveries.
From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2026
Airbus Chief Executive Guillaume Faury said the group was focusing on deliveries in what he called a complex geopolitical and operating environment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026
Among them, Amazon Prime Air is in the process of expanding deliveries to nearly 500 cities and towns, delivering items that fit into a space the size of a shoe box.
From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2026
I popped around to everyone, working, chatting, telling jokes, making deliveries.
From "Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood" by Trevor Noah
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
