postmaster general

American  

noun

plural

postmasters general

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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Etymology

Origin of postmaster general

First recorded in 1620–30

Example Sentences

This month, the Postal Service’s Board of Governors announced its selection of David Steiner to be the next postmaster general.

From Los Angeles Times • May 23, 2025

Louis DeJoy, the postmaster general of the United States, said the main post office facility in Atlanta would be named after Lewis in an August ceremony.

From Washington Times • Jun. 22, 2023

“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

They included the country’s assistant postmaster general, a former Pennsylvania congressman, a Utah senator’s brother-in-law, a Georgetown University law student, two newspaper reporters, a U.S.

From Washington Post • Jan. 28, 2022

Sutherland, the deputy postmaster general, had admitted to Fothergill that he was ignorant of the geography of the province, which was a strong reason for the appointment of a resident deputy postmaster general.

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