- a special messenger, esp one carrying diplomatic correspondence
- a person who makes arrangements for or accompanies a group of travellers on a journey or tour
- (transitive) to send (a parcel, letter, etc) by courier
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
cour•i•er /ˈkɜriɚ, ˈkʊr-/USA pronunciation
n.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- a messenger: [countable]A special courier brought us the overnight package.[uncountable]It was brought by courier.
- British Terms[countable] a tour guide for a travel agency.
cour•i•er
(kûr′ē ər, kŏŏr′-),USA pronunciation n.
- a messenger, usually traveling in haste, bearing urgent news, important reports or packages, diplomatic messages, etc.
- any means of carrying news, messages, etc., regularly.
- the conveyance used by a courier, as an airplane or ship.
- British Terms[Chiefly Brit.]a tour guide for a travel agency.
- Late Latin curritor runner; see current, -tor
- Anglo-French cor(i)our, Old French coreor
- Latin -ārius -ary; replacing Middle English corour
- Latin currere) + -iere
- Italian corriere, equivalent. to corr(ere) to run (
- Middle French cour(r)ier
- 1350–1400
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
courier /ˈkʊərɪə/ n
'by courier' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):