message

1 of 2

noun

mes·​sage ˈme-sij How to pronounce message (audio)
1
: a communication in writing, in speech, or by signals
Please take this message for me to my friend.
2
: a messenger's mission
the girl will go on a message to the shopCahir Healy
3
: an underlying theme or idea
the message is that it is time to changeThe Economist

message

2 of 2

verb

messaged; messaging

transitive verb

1
: to send as a message or by messenger
2
: to send a message to

intransitive verb

: to communicate by message

Examples of message in a Sentence

Noun Did you get my message? She has received messages of support from hundreds of people. I left a message on her answering machine. He's not here right now. Can I take a message? I liked the story but I didn't really agree with the book's message. He believed in the church's message of forgiveness. See More
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
And many times the origin of thousands or even millions of messages can be traced to a single source or two. Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 29 Nov. 2023 In his brief message, the entrepreneur praised decisions taken in recent years by rival PDD Holdings Inc. to wrest market share from China’s e-commerce leader. Zheping Huang, Fortune, 29 Nov. 2023 Regardless, Dickmann sees the messages as a way for whatever group is behind them to put pressure on Israeli leadership. Alexandra S. Levine, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2023 Within a week of Sullivan’s meeting, Burns flew to India to deliver the same message to his counterpart, Ravi Sinha. Amanda Coletta, Washington Post, 29 Nov. 2023 Investigators used messages on Diamond Lynch’s phone to find the dealers who sold her the fatal dose, Milgram said. Ken Dilanian, NBC News, 28 Nov. 2023 While undertaking training tasks meant for military operatives, Sandoval received a video message from his mother, Terri Green. Lanford Beard, Peoplemag, 28 Nov. 2023 For inquiries related to this message please contact our support team and provide the reference ID below. Bloomberg, 18 Nov. 2023 The New Hampshire Democratic Party's Belknap County office was vandalized with antisemitic and white supremacist symbols and messages. Elizabeth Both, NBC News, 17 Nov. 2023
Verb
Political groups have embraced YouTube, using it to build massive followings on the platform and to distribute videos from it on other social media and messaging apps. Parth M.n., WIRED, 23 Nov. 2023 Pro-boycott videos rack up thousands, sometimes millions, of views on YouTube and TikTok with messaging that buying from big American brands amounts to complicity in the killing of Palestinians. Mohamad El Chamaa, Washington Post, 23 Nov. 2023 Hamas uses the messaging app Telegram to recruit new members and spread misinformation. Audrey Kurth Cronin, Foreign Affairs, 22 Nov. 2023 How To Call Santa Though the hotline is free, standard calling and messaging rates may apply, depending on your phone plan. Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, 19 Nov. 2023 One year ago, Apple released Emergency SOS via satellite on all iPhone 14 models, allowing users to message with emergency services outside of cellular and Wi-Fi coverage. David Chiu, Peoplemag, 15 Nov. 2023 At the same time, the manager obsessed with what the workers were doing, sometimes messaging them more than 10 times a day. Andrew Cunningham, Ars Technica, 7 Nov. 2023 For the first time, the Signal Foundation has revealed the cost of running its widely popular encrypted messaging app. WIRED, 18 Nov. 2023 And, spurred by the remote work habits that followed us to the post-pandemic office, Gen Z has often been credited for creating a work culture that’s more informal, where people dress, speak, and message their co-workers more casually. Chloe Berger, Fortune, 16 Nov. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'message.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin missaticum, from Latin missus, past participle of mittere

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1582, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of message was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near message

Cite this Entry

“Message.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/message. Accessed 10 Dec. 2023.

Kids Definition

message

noun
mes·​sage
ˈmes-ij
1
: a communication in writing, in speech, or by signals
2
: a messenger's errand or function
3
: an underlying theme or idea
Etymology

Noun

Middle English message "job or function of a messenger," from early French message (same meaning), from Latin missaticum "something given to a messenger to deliver," from earlier missus (past participle of mittere "to send, throw") and -aticum "action, result" — related to emit, mission, promise, submissive

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