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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.

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 61-year-old is ex-forces, and also held other positions before becoming a postman, but he is proud to have been described as "the Erin Brockovich of Stoke-on-Trent".

From BBC • Aug. 1, 2025

I was a bus driver, I was a postman, I worked in retail.

From BBC • Feb. 18, 2025

One was about a boy called Max who worked as a postman on the moon and was sent on an adventure.

From BBC • Jan. 28, 2025

The mayor breezed by, followed by the postman and the train conductor, and each of them stopped to say hello.

From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris

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.