telegram
Americannoun
verb (used with or without object)
noun
Other Word Forms
- telegrammatic adjective
- telegrammic adjective
Etymology
Origin of telegram
Explanation
A telegram is a message sent by a telegraph, which is also called a wire. Over time, there have been many means of communicating, such as messenger pigeon, telephone, text message, letter, and email. Another is the telegram, which is a message sent by a telegraph. People often said a telegram was sent "by wire" because the sender and receiver of telegrams were connected by a wire. The electric telegraph has been around since the late 1800's. In the Civil War, important information was sent by telegram, which was the speediest means of communication.
Vocabulary lists containing telegram
Write On!: Graph and Gram
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Far and Away: Tele
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The Red Umbrella
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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 telegram boy said, 'I'm sorry to tell you, but this is bad news'," he says.
From BBC • Aug. 11, 2025
His family had to wait almost two weeks before a telegram arrived, addressed to his mother.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 8, 2024
Those charged included a dentist, a clairvoyant, an amateur pilot and a man running a large QAnon telegram group.
From New York Times • Apr. 29, 2024
The video was shared by the Russian Sota telegram channel.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 22, 2024
The date stamps indicate when the telegram was received in Washington and sent to the appropriate office.
From "Spooked!" by Gail Jarrow
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.
