emissary

noun em·is·sary \ ˈe-mə-ˌser-ē , -ˌse-rē \

Updated on: 8 Apr 2018

Definition of emissary

plural emissaries

1 : one designated as the agent of another : representative

2 : a secret agent

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emissary was our Word of the Day on 08/28/2017. Hear the podcast!

Examples of emissary in a Sentence

She acted as the president's personal emissary to the union leaders.
most of the industrialized nations of the world sent emissaries to the conference on global warming

Recent Examples of emissary from the Web

The pair discussed whether then-leader Kim Jong Il would send an emissary to Washington DC to extend a formal invite to Clinton.

— jamie tarabay, CNN, "Is North Korea's silence on the Trump-Kim summit a worry?," 15 Mar. 2018
The Chinese were left to wonder why Trump sent an emissary whose message the president did not believe in.

— peter baker, BostonGlobe.com, "Rex Tillerson out as Trump’s secretary of state, replaced by Mike Pompeo," 13 Mar. 2018
The timing of the move, which was expected, carries a sting for China: President Xi Jinping’s top economic emissary is in Washington this week for meetings to ease tensions between the world's two biggest economies.

— Bloomberg.com, "+1 212 318 2000," 1 Mar. 2018
Zig zagging towards your future and these emissaries from your past lives are just reminding you of all the possible ways of being that have been open to you before.

— bess matassa, Teen Vogue, "Weekly Horoscopes January 8-14," 8 Jan. 2014
Hawking will be remembered for his research into the very fundamentals of the universe, including the nature of gravity and black holes (as well as his role as an eloquent scientific emissary to the public).

— sy mukherjee, Fortune, "The Progress We've Made Fighting ALS, the Disease Stephen Hawking Suffered From," 14 Mar. 2018
But moving into the White House would confer on him the official role of chief emissary of Trump’s economic policies.

— josh boak, BostonGlobe.com, "Who is Larry Kudlow?," 14 Mar. 2018
The two shows reckon with the loaded nature of the Gurlitt trove, exploring Hildebrand Gurlitt’s difficult history as a man who was one-quarter Jewish, a devotee of modern art, and ultimately, a loyal emissary of the Third Reich.

— sophie gilbert, The Atlantic, "The Persistent Crime of Nazi-Looted Art," 11 Mar. 2018
Liu He, a high-level emissary of President Xi Jinping, kept a low profile on a visit to Washington, calling for cooperation.

— Bloomberg.com, "Trump’s Hard-Line Take on Trade Plays Into China’s Hands," 8 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'emissary.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

Like missionaries, emissaries are sent on missions. However, emissaries are more likely to be representing governments, political leaders, and nonreligious institutions, and an emissary's mission is usually to negotiate or to gather information. So a president may send a trusted emissary to a war-torn region to discuss peace terms. A company's CEO may send an emissary to check out another company that they may be thinking of buying. And a politician may send out an emissary to persuade a wealthy individual to become a supporter.