What does postmen mean?
Postmen is the standard plural of postman, meaning male postal workers who deliver letters, parcels, and other items. The word is especially familiar in British English, where postman remains a common everyday term, though it is also understood in American English. In the United States, mail carrier is generally the preferred expression, while mailmen is another traditional alternative. Postmen usually refers specifically to workers who deliver mail rather than to people who manage a postal service, such as a postmaster. Although postman can mean any postal worker, its historical masculine form has increasingly been avoided in favour of gender-neutral alternatives such as postal worker, letter carrier, and mail carrier. The traditional plural postmen reflects the irregular plural of postman, unlike the regular plural postmans.
noun (plural)The plural form of postman; postmen are men or male postal workers who deliver letters and other mail.
- Plural of postman: a man or male employee who delivers letters and other postal items.
"The postmen deliver the letters before noon each day."
"Two postmen worked along the road while the new houses were being built."
"The museum employed several postmen to handle the large volume of holiday mail."
The traditional plural of postman. The form postmans is occasionally encountered but is not standard.
"Several postmen are working along the avenue today."
The traditional British term “postman” is also the everyday name for the worker whose route can make a whole neighbourhood feel connected.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does postmen come from?
The word postman combines post, in the sense of postal delivery, with the occupational suffix -man. Post itself comes through French from Latin posta, associated with the movement of horses or post stages, while the sense of postal service developed in the modern period. The term became widely established in the 18th century as postal systems expanded. The related words postal, postage, and postmaster share the same postal root and reflect the development of organized mail services.
Related word forms
How postmen is actually used
The singular postman is common in British English and is also used in American English, although mail carrier is more common in formal American usage. The plural is traditionally postmen, while postmans is occasionally used but is not standard.
Easily confused with postmen
Postman is the singular form, while postmen is the plural form.
A postman delivers mail, whereas a postmaster oversees the operation of a postal service or a local post office.