message

1 of 2

noun

mes·​sage ˈme-sij How to pronounce message (audio)
1
: a communication in writing, in speech, or by signals
Please take this message for me to my friend.
2
: a messenger's mission
the girl will go on a message to the shopCahir Healy
3
: an underlying theme or idea
the message is that it is time to changeThe Economist

message

2 of 2

verb

messaged; messaging

transitive verb

1
: to send as a message or by messenger
2
: to send a message to

intransitive verb

: to communicate by message

Examples of message in a Sentence

Noun Did you get my message? She has received messages of support from hundreds of people. I left a message on her answering machine. He's not here right now. Can I take a message? I liked the story but I didn't really agree with the book's message. He believed in the church's message of forgiveness.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Every commissioner since him has reinforced the message by declining to reinstate Rose. Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2024 TikTok first surfaced the messages as a key House committee was set to consider the legislation but redeployed the tactic before the full chamber voted on it. Cristiano Lima-Strong, Washington Post, 21 Mar. 2024 Surprise sent a clear message to developers looking to construct high-density residential units in the city this week: not this, not here, not now. Shawn Raymundo, The Arizona Republic, 20 Mar. 2024 The Free Press left a message for Ford seeking comment. Detroit Free Press, 20 Mar. 2024 In early 2022, after Wu announced a vaccine requirement for indoor businesses, a group of mostly white Bostonians took to showing up outside her home every day, playing loud music and yelling harassing messages. E. Tammy Kim, The New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2024 Her voicemail is now full and is turning away messages. The Enquirer, 20 Mar. 2024 The United States will continue precautions to reduce risk, Ryder said, like limiting pallet weight, identifying drop zones with fewer people and sending messages to civilians before dropping the aid. Alex Horton, Washington Post, 9 Mar. 2024 While these posts aren’t explicitly activist, their proliferation sends a potent message to networks and studios: The industry’s most influential women are now a united front, prepared to share ideas, pay-equity data, and experiences in the name of making Hollywood more democratic. Ellie Austin, Fortune, 9 Mar. 2024
Verb
In addition to never asking for money, no one from the FTC will be threatening arrest or deportation over the phone or a messaging app. María Soledad Davila Calero, Fortune, 20 Mar. 2024 The discussions also homed in on how to combat the rise in encrypted data flows, how to target larger mainstream messaging apps and what to do about services like VPNs that can get around blocks. Aaron Krolik, New York Times, 15 Mar. 2024 Who Has End-To-End Encryption End-to-end encryption is used by major messaging apps and services to safeguard users’ privacy. Robin Chataut, Discover Magazine, 15 Mar. 2024 India announced a ban on more than 50 Chinese apps, including TikTok and the messaging app WeChat. Adam Taylor, Washington Post, 13 Mar. 2024 For them, graffiti is a synonym for defacement and vandalism — and gangs marking out turf and messaging their enemies with menacing scribbles. Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2024 Daniels said one student who was about to get into trouble messaged Daniels and asked him to intervene. Andrea May Sahouri, Detroit Free Press, 29 Feb. 2024 Then, on October 30, James Crumbley messaged the friend’s father saying Ethan had been trying to get a hold of him for a few days, according to messages shown in court. Nicki Brown, CNN, 8 Mar. 2024 And here’s a tip that applies to any email or messaging app. Larry Magid, The Mercury News, 8 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'message.' 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

Noun and Verb

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin missaticum, from Latin missus, past participle of mittere

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1582, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

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

Dictionary Entries Near message

Cite this Entry

“Message.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/message. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

message

noun
mes·​sage
ˈmes-ij
1
: a communication in writing, in speech, or by signals
2
: a messenger's errand or function
3
: an underlying theme or idea
Etymology

Noun

Middle English message "job or function of a messenger," from early French message (same meaning), from Latin missaticum "something given to a messenger to deliver," from earlier missus (past participle of mittere "to send, throw") and -aticum "action, result" — related to emit, mission, promise, submissive

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