telegram

1 of 2

noun

tele·​gram ˈte-lə-ˌgram How to pronounce telegram (audio)
 Southern also  -grəm
: a telegraphic dispatch

telegram

2 of 2

verb

tele·​gram ˈte-lə-ˌgram How to pronounce telegram (audio)
telegrammed; telegramming

Examples of telegram in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Never bothered to call, to write, to send the odd telegram. EW.com, 1 Nov. 2024 His family had to wait almost two weeks before a telegram arrived, addressed to his mother. Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 16 Oct. 2024 Katie Hafner: Specifically, Sherri’s doctor sent Frances Kelsey a telegram. Katie Hafner, Scientific American, 3 Oct. 2024 Students from across the country had flooded Europe with telegrams, beseeching the Chinese delegation at Versailles to salvage the country’s pride and walk away. Dan Xin Huang, Foreign Affairs, 3 May 2019 See all Example Sentences for telegram 

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

circa 1852, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1860, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of telegram was circa 1852

Dictionary Entries Near telegram

Cite this Entry

“Telegram.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/telegram. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

telegram

noun
tele·​gram
ˈtel-ə-ˌgram,
 Southern also  -grəm
: a message sent by telegraph

More from Merriam-Webster on telegram

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