email

American

[ee-meyl] / ˈiˌmeɪl /

Or e-mail

noun

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.
a message sent by email.

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

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)

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

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

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.

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Vocabulary lists containing email

Computer Science and Technology - Introductory

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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:

email emails emailed emailing

He again asked via email for an explanation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026

“Notably, this email did not offer to refund the purchase price or advise buyers such as plaintiff that the product was defective and using it could result in catastrophic burn injuries.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026

No phones in your meetings; there must be only two people on any company email.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026

“As a result of this, Amazon sent an email to all purchasers of the Colsen Fire Pit, including the one purchased by plaintiff,” the complaint read.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026

I attach it to an email and send it to Dad for feedback.

From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison

In theory, we could able to liberate ourselves of dull, menial tasks, such as replying to emails, going to meetings or managing calendars and diaries, by delegating these to capable bots.

From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026

Handala previously was accused of accessing some personal details and emails by FBI Director Kash Patel in the early days of the Iran war.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026

Dynamite wrapped in chic pastels, they provide ammunition for a day of pulverizing emails and crushing reformer Pilates.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026

In the past week, he said, his office has received around 100 calls and emails from individuals asking if they owe the tax or how to get exempt from it.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

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

From "Without Refuge" by Jane Mitchell

I scroll through the portraits he’d emailed me: two women laughing, a family smiling, and my personal favorite, a pop-artish rendering of Gigi Hadid.

From Slate ● Aug. 6, 2026

It created fake personas and emailed the software developers repeatedly, urging them to accept the new code.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026

"I may be killed. I may be arrested. I may be sent to prison," Hasina, 78, said in an emailed response to questions by AFP.

From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026

Luria said in emailed comments that concerns about China’s advanced technology developments “may be more relevant to the Korean companies,” because most U.S. companies are prohibited from selling to Chinese customers.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026

“I think so. She didn’t remember him at first, but she emailed me after I left her office. I need to call her back right now.”

From "From the Desk of Zoe Washington" by Janae Marks

Ruemmler: “Yes…And as I said, I regret emailing him. And this is a—this is a joke that certainly doesn’t land very well today.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026

He added there been an increase in the past year of parents emailing and messaging the bar asking if their child can work there.

From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026

At the journal I work for, it’s not uncommon to spend a month emailing a dozen or more people asking for a review.

From Slate ● May 3, 2026

The 18-year-old company, which provides a platform for businesses to communicate with customers through messaging, emailing and calling, comfortably beat expectations in its first quarter as companies adopt more artificial-intelligence tools to complete tasks.

From MarketWatch ● May 1, 2026

I’m emailing Ron B. Tully at Foglamp Investigators, because I remembered something while I was collecting litter on my way to school earlier.

From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023