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Synonyms

postman

1 American  
[pohst-muhn] / ˈpoʊst mən /

noun

plural

postmen

  1. a postal employee who carries and delivers mail; mail carrier.

  2. Archaic. a courier.

postman 2 American  
[pohst-muhn] / ˈpoʊst mən /

noun

Old English Law.

plural

postmen

  1. a barrister in the Court of Exchequer who had precedence in motions.

postman British  
/ ˈpəʊstmən /

noun

  1. a person who carries and delivers mail as a profession

"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

Gender

See -man.

Etymology

Origin of postman1

First recorded in 1520–30; post 3 + -man

Origin of postman2

First recorded in 1760–70; post 1 + -man

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.

Royal Mail said residents can use another nearby postbox or hand stamped letters to their postman or woman.

From BBC • Jan. 31, 2026

A postman is said to have found the man's body in Grange Road before the vehicle was later discovered in Eastcourt Lane.

From BBC • Dec. 30, 2025

The postman Joseph Roulin and his wife, Augustine, became Van Gogh’s principal friends during his stay in Arles.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 25, 2025

The virus then acts like a microscopic postman – delivering the new piece of DNA inside brain cells, where it becomes active.

From BBC • Sep. 24, 2025

It was a sunny day and the postman made a second trip to our house to deliver the postcard he’d forgotten.

From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García

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.