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

Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, referring to his special envoy for Greenland. —ABC News, 22 Feb. 2026

Kabila appointed Gertler special envoy, and the young Israeli began traveling to the US on the president’s behalf. —Nicolas Niarchos, Vanity Fair, 20 Feb. 2026

Zelenskyy said that the Ukrainian and American envoys in Geneva met with representatives from the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy and Switzerland. —Arkansas Online, 19 Feb. 2026

Instead, investigators are examining whether Andrew improperly shared sensitive government material during his tenure as the British trade envoy. —Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 19 Feb. 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