telegraph

noun

tele·graph | \ˈte-lə-ˌgraf

Definition of telegraph

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : an apparatus for communication at a distance by coded signals especially : an apparatus, system, or process for communication at a distance by electric transmission over wire

2 : telegram

telegraph

verb

telegraphed; telegraphing; telegraphs

Definition of telegraph (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1a : to send or communicate by or as if by telegraph

b : to send a telegram to

c : to send by means of a telegraphic order

2 : to make known by signs especially unknowingly and in advance

Other Words from telegraph Example Sentences Learn More about telegraph

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Examples of telegraph in a Sentence

Noun

I sent the message by telegraph.

Verb

He telegraphed a message to her. Please telegraph when you get there. Please telegraph me when you get there. The look on her face telegraphed bad news. He lost the boxing match because he was telegraphing his punches.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Spring’s plethora of veils telegraph all kinds of associations. — Steff Yotka, Vogue, "The Top 10 Accessories Trends of Spring 2019," 16 Oct. 2018 Modern scholars see many parallels between the telegraph of Cooley’s day and the Internet—an e-mail stored in a server is the modern version of a telegram. — Joseph O’neill, The New Yorker, "The Mail," 21 June 2018 Sweets laden with poppy seed telegraph Jewish heritage. — András Szántó, Condé Nast Traveler, "Why Budapest Is Europe's Unlikely Capital of Hedonism," 29 Aug. 2018 Turbidity currents broke telegraph cables after Grand Banks, Fritz points out. — Rob Goodier, Popular Mechanics, "How Climate Change Could Break the Internet," 19 July 2018 The colonial powers had strong telegraph systems all over the world, in India, China, Africa, North America. — Fox News, "What threats face America's electrical grid?," 23 Apr. 2018 Jay Gould duked it out for control of Western Union and the nation’s telegraph system. — Jeremy C. Young, Houston Chronicle, "Why a boycott of Facebook is a bad idea," 1 Apr. 2018 The Old City condo was first a telegraph office in the 19th century, then a textile factory and an insurance office, before undergoing renovations in the early 2000s to convert the building to residences. — Shannon Rooney, Philly.com, "On the market: Old City condo in former textile factory for $545,000," 12 July 2018 Carnegie began his ascent as a teenage messenger boy in a telegraph office. — Jonathan Schifman, Popular Mechanics, "The Entire History of Steel," 9 July 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Some others played outsized roles in their parties’ campaigns, though not as candidates, and were reluctant to telegraph their 2020 intentions before the 2018 fight was decided. — Jill Colvin, The Seattle Times, "Added Democratic ranks pose threat to Trump governing agenda," 7 Nov. 2018 But never before have celebrities and brands had the ability to telegraph their dubious advice on dieting into the phones of millions of impressionable young people at once. — Allie Conti, Marie Claire, "How Are Appetite Suppressing Lollipops Still a Thing?," 5 Oct. 2018 Rather, the game sticks to comic and film canon so firmly that whenever a new character appears, their next actions are alarmingly telegraphed. — Sam Machkovech, Ars Technica, "Spider-Man PS4 review: Does whatever a spider can—and then some," 4 Sep. 2018 There’s a revealing doubleness to Shallow Hal—and one that has very little to do with the True Beauty stuff the Farrellys tried so hard to telegraph in their rom-com. — Megan Garber, The Atlantic, "When Beauty Is a Troll," 22 Apr. 2018 Opting to get rid of a character — and the main character, at that — sooner than telegraphed is something the old show would never do. — Bryan Bishop, The Verge, "The Walking Dead just pulled its best switcheroo in years," 29 Oct. 2018 Each detail is meant to telegraph respect and warmth. — Mattie Kahn, Glamour, "The Best Defense Is a Good Offense: Planned Parenthood to Open 14 New Health Centers Across the American South," 23 July 2018 The Fed The market could balk at the Federal Reserve's plan to keep pushing ahead with interest rate hikes, with two more telegraphed for this year, bringing the total to four for 2018, one more than Wall Street had forecast earlier. — Adam Shell, USA TODAY, "401(k) investors: What are the risks and rewards for the rest of 2018," 2 July 2018 That evacuation likely occurred soon after Trump telegraphed the coming military punch with a tweet this week that alluded to striking inside Syria. — NBC News, "Trump's U.S.-led airstrike on Syria won't stop Assad's chemical capabilities, experts say," 14 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'telegraph.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.