email

American  

[ee-mayl] / ˈiˌmeɪl /

Or e-mail

noun

• emails
  plural

1. a system for sending messages to one or more recipients via telecommunications links between computers using dedicated software or a web-based service.

   Communication by email is almost instantaneous.

2. a message sent by email.

   Send me an email about that idea, and I'll get back to you.

3. an address at which a person can receive email messages.

   He’s got my phone number and email in case he needs to contact me.

---

verb (used with object)

• emails,
  present (3rd person singular)
• emailed,
  past participle,  past
• emailing
  present participle

1. to send (a message or file) to (a person or organization) by email: I emailed the company but haven’t heard back yet.

   He emailed his response to the invitation.

   I emailed the company but haven’t heard back yet.

verb (used without object)

• emails,
  present (3rd person singular)
• emailed,
  past participle,  past
• emailing
  present participle

1. to send an email; communicate by email or exchange emails: We emailed back and forth for three weeks before actually meeting.

   She emailed to say she’ll be on vacation next week.

   We emailed back and forth for three weeks before actually meeting.

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• emails
  plural

Participles

• emailing
  present
• emailed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• email
  simple
• emails
  simple
• have emailed
  perfect
• has emailed
  perfect
• am emailing
  progressive
• are emailing
  progressive
• is emailing
  progressive
• have been emailing
  perfect progressive
• has been emailing
  perfect progressive

Past

• emailed
  simple
• had emailed
  perfect
• was emailing
  progressive
• were emailing
  progressive
• had been emailing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will email
  simple
• will have emailed
  perfect
• will be emailing
  progressive
• will have been emailing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of email

First recorded in 1975–80; e(lectronic) + mail ¹

Explanation

Email is an electronic message that's sent from one computer to another. When you receive good news in an email, you can forward the message to your friends and family. Most email these days uses the Internet for connecting the sender and recipient. Unlike some other kinds of messaging, when you send an email to a friend, she doesn't have to be online at the same time to get your message. The next time she checks her email account, your email will be waiting for her. Email, sometimes spelled e-mail, is short for electronic mail, and was coined in the early 1980s.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

email emails emailed emailing

Hellmich had "used forged documents and a false email address" purporting to belong to Campbell, the tribunal ruled.

From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026

“In-N-Out Burger takes the protection of its brand, trademarks, and trade dress very seriously,” the Sept. 23 email, reviewed by The Times, reads.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2026

Will Barnett, head of recruiting for a Bay Area startup, swears he still speaks like a human but finds AI-use is influencing his communications over Slack and email.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026

That new renaissance is now increasingly connected to agentic software – or programs capable of automatically completing tasks like managing calendars, booking reservations and sorting through email.

From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026

His last email had only contained three words: “Cool!!! Good luck.”

From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas

I also connected my personal Gmail account with “read only” access: It could see emails but couldn’t delete them or shoot off embarrassing notes to my entire address book.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026

Resist “urgent” prompts to click on unfamiliar emails or text messages.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 25, 2026

Getting bosses and workers to have a conversation, rather than simply exchanging emails and sicknotes, could help get people back into work, Sir Charlie, who is leading the Keep Britain Working taskforce, said.

From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026

Behind the scenes, the FBI saw in emails and company records, Kao orchestrated over $40,000 in donations from extended family in advance of the event.

From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2026

Baba reads emails from the mukhtar, from Uncle Yousef, from others at home.

From "Without Refuge" by Jane Mitchell

In his emailed comments to the BBC, Zivot said: "It's very possible that as a consequence of the delay of the beginning of resuscitation she will have a brain injury."

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

Last week, representatives for the fast-food chain emailed Silva and the team demanding that all content from the shoot be taken down.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2026

Michael Sapir, CEO of ProShares and ProFunds, emailed me to say that “when you’re young, have a long-time horizon, and can take more risk, incorporating leverage in your portfolio can make a lot of sense.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026

"Last month, we informed all 737 operators about a software issue where pilots may not have access to automated flight guidance during a specific landing scenario," a Boeing spokesperson said Monday in an emailed statement.

From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026

He knew his parents did this—called or emailed his teachers and coaches.

From "Millionaires for the Month" by Stacey McAnulty

“I’ve got kids in Seattle, in Nashville, in Dallas that are emailing me and going, please bring it here,” she explained.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026

I thought of one 64-year-old woman named Johna, with whom I had been emailing.

From Slate ● Sep. 22, 2026

"Because we had to keep emailing after that, it really piqued our interest."

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

The following Monday, the town was still emailing Bowker and the project manager, or at least trying.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026

“And emailing Dad’s lawyer was a stupid idea. I am an idiot. The world’s biggest idiot. And now Freebie might...”

From "Millionaires for the Month" by Stacey McAnulty