snail mail

noun

Definition of snail mailnext
as in mail
communications or parcels sent or carried through the postal system even though she has an e-mail account, she still prefers to send snail mail

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of snail mail The Illinois Department of Insurance said snail mail is an acceptable form of notification — and certified mail is not required under state law. — Megan De Mar, CBS News, 15 June 2026 You will then be asked to provide a notice ID and confirmation code, which can only be obtained from an official settlement email or snail mail notice. — Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 30 Apr. 2026 From social media popularity to real-life snail mail Other mail-club founders agree that having a social media following can help reel in subscribers quickly. — Megan Sauer, CNBC, 30 Apr. 2026 While many important tax documents are still sent out on physical paper, people increasingly are opting out of snail mail these days. — ABC News, 15 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for snail mail
Recent Examples of Synonyms for snail mail
  1. mail
  2. parcel post
  3. correspondence
Noun
  • While renting a charming Mediterranean Revival-style villa in the Hollywood Hills, the FBI tapped her phone lines and the CIA covertly intercepted and opened her mail.
    — Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 14 Oct. 2026
  • This administration has waged a war against mail-in voting, demanded states’ voter rolls, threatened election workers and threatened to seize voting machines.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of mail
Noun
  • Competition also came from airlines and intercity bus lines that could easily carry parcel post on their routes.
    — Richard Selcer, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Feb. 2024
  • Extending parcel post to the countryside was vehemently opposed by merchants, who feared competition from Sears Roebuck and other mail order houses.
    — Tom Dillard, Arkansas Online, 14 Mar. 2021
Definition of parcel post
Noun
  • In the brothers’ correspondence, The Starry Night was referred to rather than named.
    — Joan Martelli, Time, 17 Oct. 2026
  • This All Come Back Now Perhaps my longest standing correspondence that has arisen from the podcast is with the Koori/Goori and Lebanese writer Mykaela Saunders.
    — Diana Arterian, Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of correspondence

Browse Nearby Words

snaillike
snail mail
snail-paced
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Snail mail.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/snail%20mail. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of jilt

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All