messenger

noun

mes·​sen·​ger ˈme-sᵊn-jər 

1

: one who bears a message or does an errand: such as

a

archaic : forerunner, herald

b

: a dispatch bearer in government or military service

c

: an employee who carries messages

2

: a light line used in hauling a heavier line (as between ships)

3

: a substance (such as a hormone) that mediates a biological effect

4

: messenger rna

Synonyms

• courier
• runner

Examples of messenger in a Sentence

They sent a messenger to pick up the package.

the messenger comes by twice a day to pick up packages

Recent Examples on the Web

Unlike the innumerable photons from sunlight, perhaps a dozen per second trickle through my cornea from this distant messenger, having departed it years ago, colliding with my photoreceptors and ending their unlikely journey. —Rowan Jacobsen, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025

These kinds of supplements are thought to promote joint health by triggering the immune system to produce chemical messengers that tamp down inflammation. —Maria Godoy, NPR, 20 Oct. 2025

The answer, so much as there is one, is don’t kill the messenger. —Dana Harris-Bridson, IndieWire, 20 Oct. 2025

What are the features of audiences, messages, and messengers on social media that are most effective at influencing people? —Big Think, 18 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English messangere, from Anglo-French messager, messanger, from message

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing messenger

• blame/shoot the messenger
• messenger bag
• messenger RNA
• messenger RNA vaccines

Kids Definition

messenger

noun

mes·​sen·​ger ˈmes-ᵊn-jər 

: one that carries a message or does an errand

Medical Definition

messenger

noun

mes·​sen·​ger ˈmes-ᵊn-jər 

1

: a substance (as a hormone) that mediates a biological effect see first messenger, second messenger

2

: messenger rna