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 of envoy

• 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

Simon Mulongo, a former African Union special envoy to Somalia and the Sahel, sees the same trend and argues the debate is no longer about whether Africa should partner with global powers but on what terms. —Nimi Princewill, CNN Money, 8 June 2026

Among other things, the investigation is looking into whether Andrew leaked confidential government information during his time as a British trade envoy. —Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 8 June 2026

The Islamic Republic’s foreign ministry said on Sunday that Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi met Iran’s top envoy Abbas Araghchi in Tehran and passed along a letter from his premier to Iran’s supreme leader. —Arsalan Shahla, Fortune, 7 June 2026

Miami Herald sources said Anido Cuesta, who lives in Spain, has been traveling to foreign nations lately as an unofficial envoy for his stepfather. —Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 4 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

1653, 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