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Synonyms

embassy

American  
[em-buh-see] / ˈɛm bə si /

noun

plural

embassies

  1. a body of people entrusted with a mission to a sovereign or government, especially an ambassador and their staff.

  2. the official headquarters of an ambassador.

  3. the function or office of an ambassador.

  4. a mission headed by an ambassador.

embassy British  
/ ˈɛmbəsɪ /

noun

  1. the residence or place of official business of an ambassador

  2. an ambassador and his entourage collectively

  3. the position, business, or mission of an ambassador

  4. any important or official mission, duty, etc, esp one undertaken by an agent

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of embassy

First recorded in 1570–80; variant of ambassy, from Middle French ambassee, Old French ambasce, ambaxee, ultimately from Old Provençal ambaissada, derivative of embayssar “to send a delegate,” from Medieval Latin ambasciāre, derivative of ambascia “service, office,” derivative, by a Germanic intermediary (compare Gothic andbahti, Old High German ambahti ) of Gallo-Latin ambactus “retainer, servant” (from Gaulish, equivalent to amb- “around, both” + -act- verbal adjective of unattested ag- “drive, lead”; compare Welsh amaeth “husbandman”); ambi-, amphi- ( def. ), act, ambassador

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.

One was thought to be targeting the residence of the highest-ranking U.S. diplomat in Saudi Arabia, located a few hundred feet from the embassy.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026

Those freed will include foreign nationals, young people, women and those aged over 60, a statement from the Cuban embassy in the US said.

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026

The Israeli embassy in Manila said she was injured while leading her patient to safety, after a ballistic missile struck her apartment in Tel Aviv.

From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026

Moscow and London have each expelled multiple embassy staff over the last decade, trading accusations of espionage.

From Barron's • Mar. 30, 2026

Caputo moved quickly through the chaotic streets to one of these spots and crowded onto one of several waiting buses, packing in with about seventy other journalists and U.S. embassy officials.

From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.