Synonyms

special delivery

American

noun

(in the U.S. Postal Service) delivery of mail outside the regularly scheduled hours, by a special messenger, upon the payment of an extra fee.

special delivery British

noun

the delivery of a piece of mail outside the time of a scheduled delivery

"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

Other Word Forms

special-delivery

adjective

Etymology

Origin of special delivery

An Americanism dating back to 1880–85

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.

See Examples For:

special delivery

A few weeks ago, I got a text from my grandma: “A special delivery is on its way to you.”

From Salon ● Mar. 17, 2026

Planet Earth is about to receive a special delivery — the biggest sample yet from an asteroid.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 20, 2023

In the next few days, Mr. Wiggins will receive a special delivery from New York City: the last of the goldfish from underneath the tuberculosis hospital.

From New York Times ● Mar. 17, 2023

They have said they will aim to deliver as many parcels and special delivery letters as possible, while priority will be given to prescriptions and Covid-19 test kits.

From BBC ● Dec. 4, 2022

Every now and again, I checked the window to see if the special delivery mail truck had rolled up to our house.

From "P.S. Be Eleven" by Rita Williams-Garcia

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023