post office

American  

[pohst aw-fis, of-is] / ˈpoʊst ˌɔ fɪs, ˌɒf ɪs /

noun

1. an office or station of a government postal system at which mail is received and sorted, from which it is dispatched and distributed, and at which stamps are sold or other services rendered. PO, P.O.

2. Often Post Office the department of a government charged with the transportation of mail.

3. an old-fashioned game in which one player is designated “postmaster” or “postmistress” and calls another player of a different gender into an adjoining room, ostensibly to receive a letter but actually to receive a kiss.

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Post Office ¹ British  

noun

1. a government department or authority in many countries responsible for postal services and often telecommunications

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post office ² British  

noun

1. a building or room where postage stamps are sold and other postal business is conducted

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Other Word Forms

• post-office adjective

Etymology

Origin of post office

First recorded in 1645–55

Example Sentences

This is why, from Portland, Maine, to Portland, Ore., just about every new post office built since 1962 is concrete and smoked glass—a cold, gray box of doom.

From The Wall Street Journal

The payments ranged from $1,500 for setting fire to a post office to $3,000 for a bank.

From BBC

The letter is postmarked "TransAtlantic 7" meaning it was franked on board in the Titanic's post office before being taken off with other mail at Queenstown, Ireland.

From BBC

Banks and post offices will be closed for the federal holiday, but ATMs, online banking, UPS, and some FedEx services will be available.

From Barron's

That little post office is cute, it can stay.’”

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• postal service