envoy

noun

en·​voy ˈen-ˌvȯi  ˈän- 

1

a

: a minister plenipotentiary accredited to a foreign government who ranks between an ambassador and a minister resident

called also envoy extraordinary

b

: a person delegated to represent one government in its dealings with another

2

: messenger, representative

Synonyms

• ambassador
• delegate
• representative
• minister

Examples of envoy in a Sentence

the president sent the secretary of state as his personal envoy to gain the support of the country's allies

one of the hostage takers was chosen as the group's envoy for all dealings with the authorities

Recent Examples on the Web

Show more And on Sunday, two days after Israel launched its first strikes, the Iranians were planning to go into a round of talks with Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff. —Nbc News, NBC news, 21 June 2025

Lammy traveled to Geneva after meeting in Washington with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and President Donald Trump's Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff. —Arkansas Online, 21 June 2025

The release came hours after Belarusian authorities announced that authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko met with President Trump’s envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, in the capital of Minsk. —Yuras Karmanau, Los Angeles Times, 21 June 2025

Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, met with Britain’s foreign secretary Thursday to discuss potential diplomatic off-ramps. —Elizabeth Crisp, The Hill, 20 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

French envoyé, from past participle of envoyer to send, from Old French enveier

First Known Use

1635, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

envoy

noun

en·​voy ˈen-ˌvȯi  ˈän- 

1

a

: a diplomatic representative who ranks between an ambassador and a minister

b

: a representative sent by one government to another

ambassadors and other envoys

2

: representative entry 2 sense 2, messenger