postmaster general

American  

noun

• postmasters general
  plural

1. the executive head of the postal system of a country.

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postmaster general British  

noun

1. the executive head of the postal service in certain countries

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postmaster general Cultural  

1. The head of the United States Postal Service. Until 1970, the postmaster general was head of the federal Post Office Department and a member of the president's cabinet. In 1970, the Postal Service was set up as an independent agency in place of the Post Office Department. The Postal Service is operated like a private corporation, although postal workers receive the benefits of federal employees.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• postmasters general
  plural

Etymology

Origin of postmaster general

First recorded in 1620–30

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

postmaster general

The postmaster general, David Steiner, said earlier this month that although the portal was developed quickly, the agency’s standards for quality and security weren’t compromised.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026

After his reelection in 1832, Jackson nominated Kendall to be postmaster general.

From Slate ● Sep. 4, 2026

Blumenthal, the Connecticut Democrat who received the whistleblower disclosure, asked the postmaster general for detailed info about the plan in a letter this week.

From Salon ● Sep. 3, 2026

“We must, indeed, all hang together or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately,” Benjamin Franklin, not incidentally the country’s first postmaster general, said under very different circumstances.

From Seattle Times ● May 15, 2023

Subject to the approval of the postmaster general, the deputies opened all post offices, appointed all postmasters and other officers of the department, and made all contracts for the conveyance of the mails.

From The History of the Post Office in British North America by Sir William Smith