address

American  

[uh-dres, ad-res, uh-dres] / əˈdrɛs, ˈæd rɛs, əˈdrɛs /

noun

• addresses
  plural

1. a speech or written statement, usually formal, directed to a particular group of persons.

   the president's address on the state of the economy.

   Synonyms:

   lecture, discourse

2. a direction as to the intended recipient, written on or attached to a piece of mail.

3. the place or the name of the place where a person, organization, or the like is located or may be reached.

   What is your address when you're in Des Moines?

4. manner of speaking to persons; personal bearing in conversation.

5. skillful and expeditious management; ready skill; dispatch.

   to handle a matter with address.

   Synonyms:

   tact, ingenuity, cleverness, adroitness

6. Computers.

   1. a label, as an integer, symbol, or other set of characters, designating a location, register, etc., where information is stored in computer memory.

   2. a set of characters designating an email account.

      Her email address ends in “.net,” not “.com.”

   3. a set of characters designating the location of a website or a particular computer or other device on a network.

      He visits that website so often that its complete address comes up whenever he types its first letter into the address bar.

7. Government. a request to the executive by the legislature to remove a judge for unfitness.

8. Usually addresses. attentions paid by a suitor or lover; courtship.

9. Usually Address. the reply to the king's speech in the English Parliament.

10. Obsolete. preparation.

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verb (used with object)

• addresses,
  present (3rd person singular)
• addressed,
  past participle,  past
• addrest,
  past participle,  past (Archaic)
• addressing
  present participle

1. to direct a speech or written statement to.

   to address an assembly.

2. to use a specified form or title in speaking or writing to.

   Address the president as “Mr. President.”

3. to direct to the attention.

   He addressed his remarks to the lawyers in the audience.

4. to apply in speech (used reflexively, usually followed byto ).

   He addressed himself to the leader.

5. to deal with or discuss.

   to address the issues.

6. to put the directions for delivery on.

   to address a letter.

7. Commerce. to consign or entrust to the care of another, as agent or factor.

8. to direct the energy or efforts of (usually followed byto ).

   He addressed himself to the task.

9. Computers. to direct (data) to a specified memory location in a computer.

10. Golf. to take a stance and place the head of the club behind (the ball) preparatory to hitting it.

11. Obsolete. to woo; court.

12. Archaic. to give direction to; aim.

13. Obsolete. to prepare.

verb (used without object)

Obsolete.

• addresses,
  present (3rd person singular)
• addressed,
  past participle,  past
• addrest,
  past participle,  past (Archaic)
• addressing
  present participle

1. to make an appeal.

2. to make preparations.

address British  

/ əˈdrɛs /

noun

1. the conventional form by which the location of a building is described

2. the written form of this, as on a letter or parcel, preceded by the name of the person or organization for whom it is intended

3. the place at which someone lives

4. a speech or written communication, esp one of a formal nature

5. skilfulness or tact

6. archaic manner or style of speaking or conversation

7. computing a number giving the location of a piece of stored information See also direct access

8. government a statement of the opinions or wishes of either or both Houses of Parliament that is sent to the sovereign

9. the alignment or position of a part, component, etc, that permits correct assembly or fitting

10. (usually plural) expressions of affection made by a man in courting a woman

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verb

1. to mark (a letter, parcel, etc) with an address

2. to speak to, refer to in speaking, or deliver a speech to

3. (used reflexively; foll by to)

   1. to speak or write to

      he addressed himself to the chairman

   2. to apply oneself to

      he addressed himself to the task

4. to direct (a message, warning, etc) to the attention of

5. to consign or entrust (a ship or a ship's cargo) to a factor, merchant, etc

6. to adopt a position facing (the ball in golf, a partner in a dance, the target in archery, etc)

7. to treat of; deal with

   chapter 10 addresses the problem of transitivity

8. an archaic word for woo

Synonym Usage

See speech.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• addresser
  noun
• addressor
  noun
• preaddress
  noun
• readdress
  verb (used with object)
• half-addressed
  adjective
• unaddressed
  adjective
• well-addressed
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• addresses
  plural

Participles

• addressing
  present
• addressed
  past
• addrest
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• address
  simple
• addresses
  simple
• have addressed
  perfect
• have addrest
  perfect
• has addressed
  perfect
• has addrest
  perfect
• am addressing
  progressive
• are addressing
  progressive
• is addressing
  progressive
• have been addressing
  perfect progressive
• has been addressing
  perfect progressive

Past

• addressed
  simple
• addrest
  simple
• had addressed
  perfect
• had addrest
  perfect
• was addressing
  progressive
• were addressing
  progressive
• had been addressing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will address
  simple
• will have addressed
  perfect
• will have addrest
  perfect
• will be addressing
  progressive
• will have been addressing
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of address

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English adressen “to adorn,” from Middle French adresser; see a- ⁵, dress

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Explanation

When you are a student and you want to address your teacher, it's generally safer to call her Ms. and not address her by her first name, Esmeralda. Address is a word that's long been associated with correspondence — the street number, city, state, and postal code that must be on the front of any envelope if it's going to arrive at its destination. In the digital age, an address has also come to mean the location where you might e-mail your friend pictures of your dog dressed up in a birthday hat. If you wanted to tell that friend about your dog's birthday party in person, you might address her directly. Address to describe a way of speaking is usually reserved for more formal occasions, such as when the President addresses the nation.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

address addresses addressed addrest addressing

Over a century, a patchwork of laws, treaties and irrigation systems sprang up to address those questions, allocating the prized water and governing how much must be passed downstream.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026

Multiple Whitehall sources have told BBC News the government would make an announcement on Jackdaw on Wednesday morning with the Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh expected to address MPs in the afternoon.

From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026

The FedEx driver left the vehicle, which was parked near PSA’s shipping and receiving address at 1610 E. St. Andrew Place, for an hour to 90 minutes, police said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026

David Snider, Wilson’s communications director, did not address a detailed list of questions sent by ProPublica.

From Salon ● Oct. 20, 2026

I cycled as fast as I could to the given address.

From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler

The review will look at whether existing laws sufficiently protect victims and hold perpetrators to account, as well as if legislation adequately addresses emerging forms of stalking, including online abuse and technology-enabled behaviours.

From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2026

None of this addresses another communication issue that has received widespread attention: whether or how the Fed might generate alternative scenarios to illustrate key risks.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026

The company told its customers that hackers are in possession of detailed profiles of potentially millions of the company's users - including names, addresses, phone numbers, emails, customer numbers and dates of birth.

From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026

Pori’s attorney Lanny Davis said he has received so many threatening notes that he hit his iPhone’s limit for blocking email addresses.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026

Yesterday, Lena put all our addresses in her phone to see whose house was most convenient, and bingo, Las Casitas came up smack in the middle.

From "Merci Suárez Changes Gears" by Meg Medina

On more than one occasion she read from a card that broadly addressed the subject at hand—but didn’t come near to answering the specific question posed.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026

To many observers, the Manchester United left-back situation was one that could have been anticipated and should have been addressed in the summer.

From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026

For years, he said, he’d been promising tribes and landowners their concerns would be addressed as the law requires.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2026

After he addressed some concerns that a new chapter could cause tensions or make people on campus upset, LaGrange said, his proposal was approved.

From Salon ● Oct. 19, 2026

Those emails are addressed to “Jett,” Mom’s famous-person name.

From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko

They were addrest to the Lady Dorothy Sydney; and certainlie for specious Flatterie I doe not suppose they can be matcht; but there is noe Impress of reall Feeling in them.

From Mary Powell & Deborah's Diary by Anne Manning

They felt, too, the superiority of character which addrest all men with a native authority.

From The Best of the World's Classics, Restricted to Prose, Vol. IX (of X) - America - I by Henry Cabot Lodge

Such was the speech which Solon addrest to Crœsus, a speech which brought him neither largess nor honor.

From The Best of the World's Classics, Restricted to prose. Volume I (of X) - Greece by Francis W. (Francis Whiting) Halsey

Yet ne'er the less, with heat opprest, Those three bold captains he addrest; And wished that one to him would bring Some water from his native spring.

From The Bible Story by Newton Marshall Hall

And proud to see himself with Triumph blest, Thus to great Absolom himself addrest.

From Anti-Achitophel (1682) Three Verse Replies to Absalom and Achitophel by John Dryden by Harold Whitmore Jones

The strategy was on display this week as Le Pen released a video address that bore the hallmarks of a president addressing the nation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026

Turkey would "significantly increase sanctions relating to manipulation and other market-disrupting actions" and would "strengthen supervision and oversight" as well as addressing any "gaps in the legislation", he added.

From Barron's ● Oct. 20, 2026

Instead of simply addressing the threat, they release inflammatory signals that may interfere with normal brain activity.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 19, 2026

Prior to Carney addressing the nation, Canadian media reported the death toll as seven citing unnamed military sources.

From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2026

A week later, a somber President Eisenhower sat at his desk in the Oval Office, addressing the nation on live TV.

From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin

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