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 of messenger

• 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

Furukawa said the sugars found in the Bennu samples support a hypothesis about the survival mechanisms used by the first forms of earthly life, which may have relied primarily on the messenger molecule rather than the complicated biological processes that ground it today. —Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 3 Dec. 2025

This includes verification checkpoints for accounts, Marketplace messenger filters and anti-scam warnings. —Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Dec. 2025

The results identified over 340 protein-coding messenger RNAs, over 900 non-coding RNAs, with roughly 60 microRNAs. —Jay Kakade december 03, New Atlas, 3 Dec. 2025

He's been successful as a messenger in saying that the buck stops with him. —ABC News, 30 Nov. 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 vaccine
• 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