courier

noun

cou·​ri·​er ˈku̇r-ē-ər 

ˈkər-ē-,

ˈkə-rē-

1

: messenger: such as

a

: a member of a diplomatic (see diplomatic sense 2) service entrusted with bearing messages

b(1)

: an espionage agent transferring secret information

(2)

: a runner of contraband (see contraband sense 2)

drug couriers

c

: a member of the armed services whose duties include carrying mail, information, or supplies

2

: a traveler's paid attendant

especially : a tourists' guide employed by a travel agency

Synonyms

• bootlegger
• contrabandist
• runner
• smuggler

Examples of courier in a Sentence

Police recently arrested a drug courier in our neighborhood.

A courier just left a package for you on the porch.

Recent Examples on the Web

The weed was either stuffed into suitcases and carried on commercial airline flights by couriers who worked for the group, or sent via shipping companies, the plea agreement filed Tuesday says. —Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 26 Mar. 2025

The company is the world’s largest manufacturer of cryogenic storage systems, and provides specialty courier, biostorage and sample processing services. —Lisa Kailai Han, CNBC, 24 Mar. 2025

According to DeJoy, the courier’s post office buildings, logistics capability, delivery services, vehicles, buildings and stocking locations can help other agencies reduce costs. —Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 24 Mar. 2025

The bottom line, explained the woman, was that the man needed to transfer all of his assets into gold, hand them over to a courier, then wait for a call and instructions on how to set up a new 401(k) with a new Social Security card, authorities said. —Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, 20 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Middle French corier, courrier, borrowed from Italian corriere, from correre "to run" (going back to Latin currere) + -iere -ier — more at current entry 1

First Known Use

1579, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing courier

• vaunt-courier

Rhymes for courier

• furrier
• spurrier

Kids Definition

courier

noun

cou·​ri·​er ˈku̇r-ē-ər 

ˈkər-ē-,

ˈkə-rē-

: a messenger especially in the diplomatic service

Etymology

Middle English courrier "a person who carries (runs) messages from one place to another quickly," from early Italian corriere (same meaning), derived from Latin currere "to run" — related to current