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

Others included peace missions special envoy Steve Witkoff, whose son Andrew died in 2011 from an opioid overdose. —Naomi Lim, The Washington Examiner, 30 Jan. 2026

Egypt and Qatar have moved to mediate, with senior officials holding calls with Iranian leaders and Trump’s Middle East envoy in an effort to ease tensions. —Nik Popli, Time, 28 Jan. 2026

Washington’s top envoy in Beijing signaled business ties between the world’s two biggest economies are on more solid ground after their trade war truce last October. —J.d. Capelouto, semafor.com, 27 Jan. 2026

White House counterterrorism advisor Seb Gorka and special envoy for hostage response Adam Boehler traveled to Afghanistan to broker Amiri's release in September. —Camilla Schick, CBS News, 26 Jan. 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