message
Americannoun
-
messages
plural
-
a communication containing some information, news, advice, request, or the like, sent by messenger, telephone, email, or other means.
-
an official communication, as from a chief executive to a legislative body.
the president's message to Congress.
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Digital Technology. a post or reply on an online message board.
-
the inspired utterance of a prophet or sage.
-
the point, moral, or meaning of a gesture, utterance, novel, motion picture, etc.
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Computers. a warning, permission, etc., communicated by the system or software to the user.
an error message;
a message to allow blocked content.
verb (used without object)
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messages,
present (3rd person singular)
-
messaged,
past participle, past
-
messaging
present participle
verb (used with object)
-
messages,
present (3rd person singular)
-
messaged,
past participle, past
-
messaging
present participle
-
to send (a person) a message.
-
to send as a message.
idioms
noun
-
a communication, usually brief, from one person or group to another
-
an implicit meaning or moral, as in a work of art
-
a formal communiqué
-
an inspired communication of a prophet or religious leader
-
a mission; errand
-
(plural) shopping
going for the messages
-
informal to understand what is meant
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
messagesimple
-
messagessimple
-
have messagedperfect
-
has messagedperfect
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am messagingprogressive
-
are messagingprogressive
-
is messagingprogressive
-
have been messagingperfect progressive
-
has been messagingperfect progressive
Past
-
messagedsimple
-
had messagedperfect
-
was messagingprogressive
-
were messagingprogressive
-
had been messagingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of message
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Old French, from Vulgar Latin missāticum (unrecorded), equivalent to Latin miss(us) “sent” (past participle of mittere “to send”) + -āticum -age
Explanation
A message is a communication or statement conveyed from one person or group to another. If you call my house phone and I’m out running an errand, you’ll be asked to “please leave a message after the beep.” Generally transmitted verbally or in writing, a message can also be sent via a look or a gesture. In today’s world, people tend to use email to send a short message. But in ye olden days, pre-internet and when the post was faster, people relied on the art of letter writing to send a message. The noun can also have a moral or pointed implication. For instance, the story's moral message was to always tell the truth.
Vocabulary lists containing message
TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
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Common Core Grade 6, List 1
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Common Core Grade 5, List 1
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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:
"But I felt like it was really important to do that to get the message out."
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
The message from 1809 -- detailing French and allied troops' positions in two dozen lines of symbols, numbers and letters -- had lain ignored in an online academic archive.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
That message — a howl of righteous anger at state corruption and the perversion of religion to serve the nefarious agendas of cruel, power-mad men — is what makes “The Devils” sacrilegious yet not apostate.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
That’s the same message Ticktin said he has been trying to convey.
From Salon ● Oct. 16, 2026
“How grateful I am for your message, Fraulein.” he said.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
On Instagram for example, when you turn off the algorithm, you can't see direct messages or access your profile and settings.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
He told the court he found the picture of the messages "recently" after taking his phones out of storage when moving home.
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026
They are spread across numerous chats that can become all but lost in the volume of messages over the course of a day.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
After a similar flood of messages, a Chinese-American student named Winston Lee at the University of Pennsylvania added a disclaimer to his LinkedIn profile: "I do not go to Cornell."
From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026
I type and delete five different messages before I settle on something simple.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
"He messaged back and was like, 'If you're actually not joking, I'd be honoured'."
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
Dennis messaged an associate as they were preparing a marketing campaign before the PAC was announced.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
While accepting the award for "Best Collaboration" after their performance, Madonna and Carpenter joked about how the material girl direct messaged via social media to get them into the studio for the collaboration.
From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026
On March 27, 2025, according to court filings, DEA agent Michael Greisen tried a direct approach: He messaged Marset on WhatsApp, warning that he was under indictment and should turn himself in.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026
So, she messaged me the next day, I’m not messaging you to say I’m sorry, because I’m not, not for everything.
From "Feed" by M.T. Anderson
The little guy–industrial complex also feels like a natural pivot point in not just A.I. design but public messaging.
From Slate ● Oct. 14, 2026
“It won’t show up anywhere if you wire money to American Express,” she allegedly wrote to the donor via the encrypted Signal messaging app.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026
Practical strategies include reducing unnecessary notifications, particularly from social media and messaging applications, and setting limits on time spent browsing social platforms.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 12, 2026
She said her priorities were to reduce avoidable hospital admissions, including with "robust" public messaging, to ensure people were accessing the right sort of medical care.
From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026
Geeks keep their computers on round-the-clock and often work irregular hours, in part because Web-surfing, software trading, and collecting and ICQ and Hotline messaging are factored in.
From "Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho" by Jon Katz
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
