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

• agent
• ambassador
• delegate
• emissary
• legate
• minister
• representative

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

President Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, arrived in Moscow on Friday for a fourth visit to Russia since January in a bid to move negotiations forward with senior Kremlin aides. —Mohammed Soliman, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Apr. 2025

Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Friday for the fourth time since the inauguration. —Bloomberg News, Boston Herald, 26 Apr. 2025

His envoy, Steve Witkoff, had made a visit to Moscow to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday. —Arkansas Online, 26 Apr. 2025

Picking Witkoff for a role his son-in-law used to fill Once in office, Trump picked his old friend as his envoy to the Middle East. —Franco Ordoñez, NPR, 25 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

1635, 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