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• mailer
  mailer

  noun

  a person who mails or prepares material for mailing.
• Mailer
  Mailer

  noun

  Norman, 1923–2007, U.S. writer.

mailer

¹ American  

[may-ler] / ˈmeɪ lər /

noun

1. a person who mails or prepares material for mailing.

2. a container, as a mailing tube or protective envelope, for mailing papers, books, merchandise, etc.

3. an advertising brochure, form letter, or the like, sent out in the mail.

4. mailing machine.

5. Archaic. a mailboat.

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Mailer ² American  

[may-ler] / ˈmeɪ lər /

noun

1. Norman, 1923–2007, U.S. writer.

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mailer ¹ British  

/ ˈmeɪlə /

noun

1. a person who addresses or mails letters, etc

2. a machine used for stamping and addressing mail

3. a container for mailing things

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Mailer ² British  

/ ˈmeɪlə /

noun

1. Norman. 1923–2007, US author. His works, which are frequently critical of modern American society, include the war novel The Naked and the Dead (1948), An American Dream (1965), his account of the 1967 peace march on Washington The Armies of the Night (1968), The Executioner's Song (1979), and Barbary Shore (1998)

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Etymology

Origin of mailer

An Americanism dating back to 1880–85; mail ¹ + -er ¹

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

mailer Mailer

Each month, they were sent a mailer promoting the “Selection of the Month,” and if the customer failed to return the rejection form, Columbia House would send them the new release and charge their account.

From Salon ● Aug. 21, 2026

A recent mailer offered a $300,000 term policy for a man his age at $170 a month.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 7, 2026

Also in the fine print on the current mailer:

From Los Angeles Times ● May 29, 2026

The first time Highland Park resident Paul Zappia received a mailer criticizing Eunisses Hernandez, his representative on the Los Angeles City Council, he tossed it in the trash.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 9, 2026

She comes back with a Sharpie and a postcard mailer for a Christmas tree lot.

From "We Are Okay" by Nina LaCour

In his loopy 1957 essay on hipsters, Norman Mailer talked about the “psychic havoc” of living under the threat of nuclear annihilation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 8, 2026

As gonzo journalist Norman Mailer wrote at the time, "Either the convention was sewn up for Humphrey or the convention was soft. No one really knew."

From Salon ● Aug. 18, 2024

Give us Bellow with his lion-hunting Henderson, Mailer with his century-swallowing fever dreams!

From New York Times ● Jan. 31, 2024

For a final hearing, in July 1976, Wildes brought in Norman Mailer and Gloria Swanson, among others, to testify on Lennon’s behalf, and the INS granted the musician his green card.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 12, 2024

Ave. “Y” where great thinkers like Norman Mailer and Seymour Krim are always airing their views.

From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole

Related Words

• brochure
• handbill
• leaflet