Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

See What's Trending Now See More Trending Words

snail mail

noun

Definition of snail mail

  1. 1 :  mail delivered by a postal system

  2. 2 :  mail 3

See snail mail defined for English-language learners

See snail mail defined for kids

Explore Merriam-Webster

top-10-new-words-for-old-things-cloth-diapers
Why Did "Cloth Diapers" Make a Change?
alt-59973139034d4
Trending: 'Svengali' Bannon leaving White House
watercolor-squares
We're Down With You Being—or Your Being?—a Square
video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066

Examples of snail mail in a Sentence

  1. She still uses snail mail for paying bills.

  2. I can be contacted by e-mail and snail mail.

First Known Use of snail mail

1982

snail mail Synonyms

Synonyms
correspondence, matter, parcel post, post [chiefly British], mail
Related Words
airmail, airpost, certified mail, registered mail, rural delivery, rural free delivery, special delivery, special handling; direct mail, junk mail, mailer; card, dispatch, epistle, letter, message, missive, note, postal card, postcard, printed matter; bundle, package, shipment

SNAIL MAIL Defined for English Language Learners

snail mail

noun

Definition of snail mail for English Language Learners

  • : ordinary mail that is delivered by a postal system : mail that is not e-mail

Learn More about snail mail

  1. See words that rhyme with snail mail Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for snail mail

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up snail mail? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

hebetude

play

lethargy or dullness

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. Svengali 'A person who manipulates'

  2. syzygy An obscure astronomy term goes mainstream

  3. hegemon "Something having dominant influence over others"

  4. repugnant Trump clarifies his position on racism

  5. white nationalist, white supremacist Trending in 2017

SEE ALL

BROWSE DICTIONARY

snail mail

Test Your Vocabulary

Time Traveler Quiz: Which Word Came First?

  • time-traveler-quiz-which-word-came-first
  • Which came first?
How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!

TAKE THE QUIZ
SCRABBLE® Sprint

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

watercolor-squares
We're Down With You Being—or Your Being?—a Square

It's about (you? your?) having your say.

image1489982902
Devilish Words

Don't blame a word use error on the devil.

alt-599492594f435
How 'Wonderful' Lost Its Sense of Wonder

A case of semantic bleaching

dog-covering-face
Don't Let Reading This Be Another 'Coulda' 'Shoulda' 'Woulda'

PSA: They're three separate words.

Ask the Editors

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

payday
How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless
Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals
Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

time-traveler-quiz-which-word-came-first
Time Traveler Quiz: Which Word Came First?

Which word entered the English language first?

Take the quiz
name-more-food
Name More Food!

Test your knowledge of food vocabulary!

Take the quiz
How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?
How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!

Take the quiz
SCRABBLE® Sprint
SCRABBLE® Sprint

SCRABBLE® fans, sharpen your skills!

Play the game
Examples: snail mail in a Sentence