snail mail

noun

1
informal : mail delivered by a postal system especially when contrasted with email : mail sense 1a
I avoid using e-mail to complain. I use the phone or old-fashioned snail mail.Arlene Silverman
2
informal : a nation's postal system : mail sense 2
The others have taken the traditional route: sending checks by snail mail.Stephen Gandel

Examples of snail mail in a Sentence

She still uses snail mail for paying bills. I can be contacted by e-mail and snail mail.
Recent Examples on the Web Send a little snail mail love with this straightforward stationery template. Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 26 Feb. 2024 Today, the reaction to, and resolution of, mistakes happens a lot more quickly as the use of facsimile and snail mail have been replaced by email and algorithm. James Broughel, Forbes, 16 Feb. 2024 Many people like to opt out of snail mail, but paper mail can also include your tax documents. Adriana Morga, Chicago Tribune, 13 Apr. 2023 Few workers want to go back to office practices built around landlines, typewriters and snail mail that chained people to their company workstations. Roger Vincentstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 16 Dec. 2022 Please consider reaching out and maintaining contact via old-fashioned snail mail in addition to your other efforts. Haben Kelati, Washington Post, 7 June 2023 Season announcements were designed and sent out — via snail mail — to more than 70,000 San Diego area addresses each year. George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Nov. 2023 Clearly, there are many ways to connect, among them real life visits, emails, video chats, phone calls, texts and snail mail. Kate Stone Lombardi, Good Housekeeping, 9 Dec. 2022 Email will soon be a relic of the past, sometimes used, but regarded like snail mail as a lesser method. John Kim, Forbes, 19 July 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'snail mail.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1982, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of snail mail was in 1982

Dictionary Entries Near snail mail

Cite this Entry

“Snail mail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/snail%20mail. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

snail mail

noun
1
: mail delivered by a postal system
2
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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