message
Americannoun
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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.
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the inspired utterance of a prophet or sage.
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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)
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messaged,
past participle, past
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messaging
present participle
verb (used with object)
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messages,
present (3rd person singular)
-
messaged,
past participle, past
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messaging
present participle
-
to send (a person) a message.
-
to send as a message.
idioms
noun
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a communication, usually brief, from one person or group to another
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an implicit meaning or moral, as in a work of art
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a formal communiqué
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an inspired communication of a prophet or religious leader
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a mission; errand
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(plural) shopping
going for the messages
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informal to understand what is meant
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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messagesimple
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messagessimple
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have messagedperfect
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has messagedperfect
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am messagingprogressive
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are messagingprogressive
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is messagingprogressive
-
have been messagingperfect progressive
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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:
Hegseth is also said to be increasingly relying on a secret network of anonymous internet trolls to spread his message.
From Salon ● Aug. 29, 2026
For people who own dogs, Creevy said the practical message is straightforward.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 29, 2026
I want to send the message that she’d better keep my name out of her mouth because I do think she is a pathological liar.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 29, 2026
What took him by a surprise was the message on the screen.
From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026
“Ki-e.lou-cou-ze-ta,” was an example of one such message.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
In general, everyone always says that I answer messages really quickly.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 29, 2026
Sometimes the most powerful messages come in the simplest packages.
From Salon ● Aug. 28, 2026
The service I used all those years ago, Talkspace, recently launched an AI chatbot that’s, in part, trained on the company’s database of text messages between therapists and customers, which have been vetted and anonymized.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
She last exchanged WhatsApp messages with her father just after dawn in Nepal on Wednesday.
From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026
After all, the messages were arriving from very far away!
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
Having previously established contacts within the universe of Insta meme-makers, I messaged a few sloppypasta enthusiasts to see whether they might be willing to speak to their use of these captions.
From Slate ● Aug. 28, 2026
He messaged the number from the ad three times before an officer overseeing the sting responded, the report said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
"He messaged me the day before the Test, touching on The Hundred and congratulating me on that, and saying good luck for the first Test," said Tongue.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
Then in July, the same man messaged that Muzirikazi was dead.
From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026
“She messaged you, didn’t she? What’d she say to you this time? That she misses you?”
From "Warcross" by Marie Lu
She said the event would also be a messaging opportunity in the U.S., where she noted ethnic Indians have had recent challenges including election losses by Indian-American politicians and episodes of anti-India racism.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
Bhattacharya spoke to her on the phone, and the two continued messaging afterwards.
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026
“They’ve really used the messaging of freedom, domination over the environment, strength, power, speed,” to appeal to men, she said.
From Salon ● Aug. 27, 2026
And time spent watching longer videos and messaging other people doesn’t count toward younger users’ two-hour limit, which could just push them to spend their time on Meta’s platforms in other ways.
From Slate ● Aug. 26, 2026
That was before the spread of instant messaging and Facebook.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
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.
