1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

snail mail

noun

Definition of snail mailnext
as in mail
communications or parcels sent or carried through the postal system even though she has an e-mail account, she still prefers to send snail mail

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of snail mail The Illinois Department of Insurance said snail mail is an acceptable form of notification — and certified mail is not required under state law. — Megan De Mar, CBS News, 15 June 2026 You will then be asked to provide a notice ID and confirmation code, which can only be obtained from an official settlement email or snail mail notice. — Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 30 Apr. 2026 From social media popularity to real-life snail mail Other mail-club founders agree that having a social media following can help reel in subscribers quickly. — Megan Sauer, CNBC, 30 Apr. 2026 While many important tax documents are still sent out on physical paper, people increasingly are opting out of snail mail these days. — ABC News, 15 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for snail mail
Recent Examples of Synonyms for snail mail
  1. mail
  2. parcel post
  3. correspondence
Noun
  • Pennsylvania In Pennsylvania, voters have the option of requesting, completing, and returning mail-in ballots all at once before Election Day in their local County Election Office.
    — Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Its purchasing role also brings responsibilities under Florida’s requirements for mail-in secondhand precious-metals dealers, including transaction documentation and recordkeeping.
    — Kaitlyn Gomez, Miami Herald, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of mail
Noun
  • Competition also came from airlines and intercity bus lines that could easily carry parcel post on their routes.
    — Richard Selcer, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Feb. 2024
  • Extending parcel post to the countryside was vehemently opposed by merchants, who feared competition from Sears Roebuck and other mail order houses.
    — Tom Dillard, Arkansas Online, 14 Mar. 2021
Definition of parcel post
Noun
  • And the AdS/CFT correspondence essentially guarantees that anti-de Sitter space — which happens to be the space physicists understand best — is holographic.
    — Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 25 Sep. 2026
  • The city is asking anyone who received a suspicious invoice to keep a copy of all the correspondence and contact Coral Gables police.
    — Michelle Marchante September 23, Miami Herald, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of correspondence

Browse Nearby Words

snaillike
snail mail
snail-paced
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Snail mail.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/snail%20mail. Accessed 2 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of heterodox

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Oct. 2

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
name tags
Words Named After People Quiz Find out who’s behind "leotard," "morphine," an...
See All