ambassador

noun

am·​bas·​sa·​dor am-ˈba-sə-dər How to pronounce ambassador (audio)
əm-,
im-,
-ˌdȯr,
-ˈbas-dər
1
: an official envoy
especially : a diplomatic agent of the highest rank accredited to a foreign government or sovereign as the resident representative of his or her own government or sovereign or appointed for a special and often temporary diplomatic assignment
She's the American ambassador to Italy.
2
a
: an authorized representative or messenger
b
: an unofficial representative
traveling abroad as ambassadors of goodwill
ambassadorial adjective
ambassadorship
am-ˈba-sə-dər-ˌship How to pronounce ambassador (audio)
əm-
im-
-ˌdȯr-
-ˈbas-dər-
noun

Examples of ambassador in a Sentence

Embassy officials met with the ambassador. a beloved entertainer who has often been sent abroad by the president as his country's goodwill ambassador
Recent Examples on the Web The event brings together 300 young leaders, plus world leaders, influencers, policy experts and more, including virtual appearances from ambassadors Hugh Jackman and Charlie Puth. Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 5 Mar. 2024 The actor has revealed her new bleach blonde pixie, courtesy of colorist and Redken ambassador Tracey Cunningham and stylist Bridget Brager, exclusively to Vogue. Margaux Anbouba, Vogue, 4 Mar. 2024 City leaders also unveiled plans to limit the concentration of bars and clubs in the area, create a West Seventh ambassador program like the one downtown, add more street lights, implement safety training for bar staff and use off-duty police officers to check patrons for firearms. James Hartley, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Mar. 2024 The person who has gotten the most attention as a possible successor is Liu Jianchao, a Communist Party official who is a former Foreign Ministry spokesperson and ambassador to the Philippines and Indonesia. Ken Moritsugu, Quartz, 3 Mar. 2024 And so the European ambassador, like the White House and the Senate, waits for a breakthrough in the House. Dan Morrison, USA TODAY, 2 Mar. 2024 One of those people was David Friedman, Mr. Trump’s former ambassador to Israel, according to the people with knowledge of the outreach. Michael Gold, New York Times, 1 Mar. 2024 Former congressman and ambassador Pete Hoekstra, who was recognized Tuesday as the lawful chair by a Kent County judge, and earlier was endorsed by the Republican National Committee, has called a convention for the same day, but in Grand Rapids. Detroit Free Press, 29 Feb. 2024 Billionaire Kenneth Griffin showed interest in DeSantis, the Florida governor, early on and then backed Haley, the former UN ambassador, with a $5 million donation in December, federal records show. Amanda Gordon, Fortune, 27 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ambassador.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English ambassatour, ambassiatour "diplomatic emissary, envoy, messenger," borrowed from Anglo-French & Medieval Latin; Anglo-French ambaxiatour, ambassatour (continental Middle French also embassator, ambassadeur), borrowed from Medieval Latin ambasciātor, ambassātor, from ambiasciāre "to communicate, send a message, send an envoy" (derivative of Late Latin ambascia, ambassia "mission, errand, task, journey") + Latin -tor, agent suffix — more at embassy

Note: The current form of the word with -d-, which becomes common in early Modern English, is dependent on Middle French (and French) ambassadeur, borrowed from Italian ambasciatore, probably borrowed from Old Occitan ambayssador. Regarding the variation between initial am- and em-, see the note at embassy. As the Oxford English Dictionary, third edition, remarks, the form embassador was frequent in early Modern English, up to ca. 1700, and sporadic thereafter; the prevalence of the am- form is probably due at least in part to the influence of French ambassadeur. Though ambassador was apparently always more common in American English, Noah Webster preferred embassador, as he notes at the entry for ambassador in An American Dictionary of the English Language (1828): "This is the more common orthography; but good authors write also embassador; and as the orthography of embassy is established, it would be better to write embassador."

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of ambassador was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near ambassador

Cite this Entry

“Ambassador.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ambassador. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

ambassador

noun
am·​bas·​sa·​dor am-ˈbas-əd-ər How to pronounce ambassador (audio)
əm-,
-ˈbas-ə-dȯ(ə)r
1
: a person sent as the chief representative of his or her own government in another country
2
: an official representative or messenger
ambassadorial adjective
ambassadorship noun

More from Merriam-Webster on ambassador

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