What does mailman mean?
A mailman is a person who delivers letters and other items sent through the post. In contemporary English, it is an informal and somewhat old-fashioned term, although it remains widely understood, particularly in the United States. British speakers generally prefer postman, while mail carrier is the more neutral occupational term in American English. The word can describe someone who delivers mail in an ordinary residential neighborhood, and it also appears in stories, jokes, and expressions connected with the daily arrival of letters. Because it combines the ordinary words mail and man, it has a straightforward and memorable meaning: a person whose work involves carrying mail. It can occasionally be used more broadly for a postal worker, but it usually retains the familiar image of a person delivering letters door to door.
nounA man whose work is to collect or deliver letters and other items sent by post. The term is now less formal and is less common than postman in British English and mail carrier in American English.
- A person employed to deliver letters, postcards, and other postal items; by extension, someone who collects or carries mail.
"The mailman delivered the letters just after breakfast."
"The mailman rang the bell twice before leaving the package."
"In the story, the mailman brought news of the storm to the village."
The plural is formed by changing -man to -men.
"The mailmen sorted the letters before the morning deliveries began."
A simple compound with a clear history: a mailman is simply the man who carries the mail.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does mailman come from?
Mailman is an English compound formed from mail and man. The word mail in the sense of correspondence sent through the postal system is older and ultimately derives from post-related vocabulary associated with medieval postal systems. The compound became established in the English-speaking world as the name for a person who carries letters, and it remains especially familiar in American usage.
Related word forms
How mailman is actually used
The term is informal and somewhat dated, especially in British English, where postman is standard. In American English it is still understood, though mail carrier is usually preferred in formal and occupational contexts.
Easily confused with mailman
Postman is the usual general term in British English, while mailman is more characteristically American and can sound old-fashioned or informal.