email

1 of 2

noun

ˈē-ˌmāl 

variants or e-mail

1

: a means or system for transmitting messages electronically (as between computers on a network)

communicating by email

2

a

: messages sent and received electronically through an email system

receives a lot of email

b

plural emails or e-mails : an email message

sent him an email

email

2 of 2

verb

variants or e-mail

emailed or e-mailed; emailing or e-mailing; emails or e-mails

transitive verb

1

: to send email to (someone)

She emailed her mom.

2

: to send (something) by email

I'll email the documents tomorrow.

intransitive verb

: to communicate by email

As I write this, a colleague who takes an amateur interest in tracking the weather emailed to say it would be "among the hottest days of 2019 so far, if not #1."

—Nina Metz

Examples of email in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The Justice Department at the time was investigating Hillary Clinton's handling of classified information on a personal email server. —Laura Gersony, The Arizona Republic, 25 Oct. 2024

Voter registration scams Voter registration scams occur when scammers contact you by phone, email or in-person pretending to be election officials. —Alex Perry, The Enquirer, 25 Oct. 2024

Verb

Or email me to receive a Purposeful Habits worksheet. —Nell Derick Debevoise, Forbes, 25 Oct. 2024

Just 30 years ago, the concept of emailing or texting someone was a completely foreign concept. —Karla Walsh, Southern Living, 23 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

electronic mail

First Known Use

Noun

1979, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1983, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Phrases Containing email

• junk email

Kids Definition

email

noun

variants or e-mail

ˈē-ˌmāl

1

: a system for sending messages between computers

2

a

: messages sent through an email system

receives a lot of email

b

: an email message

sent him an email

email verb

or e-mail

emailer

-ˌmāl-ər

noun

or e-mailer