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

For more than a year, starting in 2017, envoys from the United States, Canada, and Mexico met to determine the future of a trade alliance worth trillions of dollars. —Stephania Taladrid, New Yorker, 11 Dec. 2025

Ukrainian officials met with White House envoy Steve Witkoff and whittled the plan down. —Rachel Wolf, FOXNews.com, 10 Dec. 2025

But the special envoy has sparked some controversy along the way, most recently with his involvement in a draft proposal to end Russia’s war in Ukraine that was criticized for favoring Moscow. —Morgan Chalfant, semafor.com, 9 Dec. 2025

Special envoy Steve Witkoff and the president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, on Friday met with Rustem Umerov, secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, and Ukrainian negotiator Andriy Hnatov in Florida. —Jonathan Carter, The Hill, 8 Dec. 2025

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