courier

American  

[kur-ee-er, koor-] / ˈkɜr i ər, ˈkʊər- /

noun

• couriers
  plural

1. a messenger, usually traveling in haste, bearing urgent news, important reports or packages, diplomatic messages, etc.

2. any means of carrying news, messages, etc., regularly.

3. the conveyance used by a courier, as an airplane or ship.

4. Chiefly British. a tour guide for a travel agency.

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courier British  

/ ˈkʊərɪə /

noun

1. a special messenger, esp one carrying diplomatic correspondence

2. a person who makes arrangements for or accompanies a group of travellers on a journey or tour

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verb

1. (tr) to send (a parcel, letter, etc) by courier

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• couriers
  plural

Etymology

Origin of courier

1350–1400; < Middle French cour ( r ) ier < Italian corriere, equivalent to corr ( ere ) to run (< Latin currere ) + -iere < Latin -ārius -ary; replacing Middle English corour < Anglo-French cor ( i ) our, Old French coreor < Late Latin curritor runner; see current, -tor

Explanation

A courier is a person you trust with delivering important messages or packages. Let your mail carrier deliver your credit card bill and the form letter from the “Save the Orchids” foundation, but trust a courier with your book contract or birth certificate. Couriers are in a hurry. Do they saunter up your driveway the way a mail carrier does? No! Couriers are clearly on important business; they’re jogging. The word comes from a Latin word, currere, meaning “to run.” Nowadays, you might see couriers on bicycles, however, weaving in and out of traffic to deliver your messages on time.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

courier couriers

It also offers courier services over short distances.

From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026

Regretting using a middleman for a courier service, however opportunistic you believe the company to be, is not — on the face of it — a good enough reason to cancel the charge.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 30, 2026

The company has an important role in the Russian economy, with small and medium businesses relying on the courier services.

From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026

The German courier company benefits from self-help measures including 1 billion euros of savings expected from its fit-for-growth program.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026

Likewise, all photos that ran on the Web had first seen sent by yak and then air courier to New York for transmission.

From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer

The cargo e-bikes that couriers peddle around Manhattan cannot travel faster than 12 miles per hour.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

When challenged whether he was coercively controlling couriers for his own ends, he said: "No, it's more of a bartering system. They want something and I want something. It goes hand in hand."

From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026

Additionally, the company said it now has more than 10 million global drivers and couriers, with active drivers up 21% from a year ago, despite higher gas prices.

From MarketWatch ● May 6, 2026

Uber said drivers can get up to 15% cash back through May 26 with the Uber Pro card, a business debit Mastercard for drivers and couriers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 18, 2026

George, Charles, and at least one other enslaved man named John Fulton were trusted enough to serve as couriers, and they occasionally traveled alone back to the Hermitage with messages from Jackson.

From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis