ambassador

American  

[am-bas-uh-der, -dawr] / æmˈbæs ə dər, -ˌdɔr /

Archaic, embassador

noun

• ambassadors
  plural

1. a diplomatic official of the highest rank, sent by one sovereign or state to another as its resident representative ambassadorextraordinaryandplenipotentiary.

2. a diplomatic official of the highest rank sent by a government to represent it on a temporary mission, as for negotiating a treaty.

3. a diplomatic official serving as permanent head of a country's mission to the United Nations or some other international organization.

4. an authorized messenger or representative. Amb., amb.

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ambassador British  

/ æmˈbæsədə /

noun

1. short for ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary ; a diplomatic minister of the highest rank, accredited as permanent representative to another country or sovereign

2. a diplomatic minister of the highest rank sent on a special mission

3. a diplomatic minister of the first rank with treaty-signing powers

4. an ambassador with special duties who may be sent to more than one government

5. an authorized representative or messenger

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Usage

The gender-neutral form is ambassador

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• ambassadorship
  noun
• ambassadress
  noun
• ambassadorial
  adjective
• preambassadorial
  adjective
• ambassadorially
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• ambassadors
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of ambassador

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English am-, embass(i)adour, imbassadore, from Anglo-French ambassateur, ambassaduer, from Italian ambassatore, dialectal Italian ambassadore, equivalent to ambass- stem of “to send a delegate” + -atore, -adore, from Latin -ātōrem accusative of -ātor noun-forming suffix; see embassy, -ator

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Explanation

An ambassador is an official representative for his or her country, stationed in another nation, like Benjamin Franklin, who was an ambassador to France. Ambassador usually describes the official diplomatic envoy who represents one country to another. These ambassadors work to promote understanding, perhaps by settling differences or clearing up misunderstanding. Used less formally, an ambassador can be anyone who represents something, like a pop singer who is a "brand ambassador" for a cosmetics company.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

ambassador ambassadors

In a statement on X, Guilfoyle rejected the allegations against her and defended her record as ambassador, highlighting efforts to boost US energy exports and strengthen security ties with Greece.

From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026

Greece's conservative government on Wednesday sought to distance itself from the shock ouster of US ambassador Kimberly Guilfoyle, with a senior official insisting relations with Washington are unaffected.

From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026

On Tuesday Iran even summoned the U.K. ambassador in reply.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026

As for Batter, he’s perhaps the best poetry ambassador to have ever graced the pages of a novel.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026

I went to bed and thought about what I’d done, not because I was sorry for offending the ambassador, but because I’d let myself get out of control.

From "Confessions of a Murder Suspect" by James Patterson

He said the foreign ministry was in contact with the ambassadors of the countries involved.

From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026

But the back and forth, part of a tranche of hundreds of messages, emails and letters reviewed by the Journal, raises new questions about one of America’s most high-profile ambassadors.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

But the back and forth, part of a tranche of hundreds of messages, emails and letters reviewed by the Journal, raises new questions about the activities of one of America’s most high-profile ambassadors.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

The house has also taken on male ambassadors this year, including actor Pedro Pascal, but still has no officially designated men's line.

From Barron's ● Oct. 4, 2026

The ambassadors then swept in, wearing capes edged with fur and bearing maps and many papers.

From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein

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