messenger

noun

mes·​sen·​ger ˈme-sᵊn-jər 

1

: one who bears a message or does an errand: such as

a

archaic : forerunner, herald

b

: a dispatch bearer in government or military service

c

: an employee who carries messages

2

: a light line used in hauling a heavier line (as between ships)

3

: a substance (such as a hormone) that mediates a biological effect

4

: messenger rna

Synonyms

• courier
• express [British]
• go-between
• page
• runner

Examples of messenger in a Sentence

They sent a messenger to pick up the package.

the messenger comes by twice a day to pick up packages

Recent Examples on the Web

After finding Sita and identifying himself as Rama’s messenger, Hanuman is captured by Ravana’s soldiers, who set his tail ablaze. —Aaron Boorstein, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Apr. 2024

As WhatsApp warned, different endpoints are less secure than an integrated messenger. —Zak Doffman, Forbes, 30 Mar. 2024

Fed Governor Christopher Waller, seen as a key messenger of the Fed’s guidance on policy, is delivering a speech on the economy Wednesday in New York. —Elisabeth Buchwald, CNN, 26 Mar. 2024

Credible messengers, resources are key The six ShotStopper organizations have worked with over 425 Detroiters since the program launched in August 2023, according to the city. —Andrea May Sahouri, Detroit Free Press, 12 Mar. 2024

Hall's play echoes what happened to Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane: God would not take the cup away but sent a messenger to strengthen him. —Jim Higgins, Journal Sentinel, 12 Mar. 2024

Our messenger should come prepared with a set of clicks that might put the whales at ease. —Ross Andersen, The Atlantic, 24 Feb. 2024

The connection between computing and the demographics of constructing was first brought to my attention at the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament in 2014, when the topic of the field’s gender trouble was broached by an unlikely messenger: the seventeen-year-old puzzle wunderkind David Steinberg. —Anna Shechtman, The New Yorker, 18 Feb. 2024

No one enjoys being the messenger of doom, or the prognosticator of the perfect storm. —Steve Tengler, Forbes, 13 Feb. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English messangere, from Anglo-French messager, messanger, from message

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing messenger

• blame/shoot the messenger
• messenger bag
• messenger RNA
• messenger RNA vaccines

Kids Definition

messenger

noun

mes·​sen·​ger ˈmes-ᵊn-jər 

: one that carries a message or does an errand

Medical Definition

messenger

noun

mes·​sen·​ger ˈmes-ᵊn-jər 

1

: a substance (as a hormone) that mediates a biological effect see first messenger, second messenger

2

: messenger rna