telegram

1 of 2

noun

tele·​gram ˈte-lə-ˌgram How to pronounce telegram (audio)
 Southern also  -grəm
: a telegraphic dispatch

telegram

2 of 2

verb

tele·​gram ˈte-lə-ˌgram How to pronounce telegram (audio)
telegrammed; telegramming

Examples of telegram in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Image To many, landline phones have come to seem as essential as steamships and telegrams in the smartphone era. Michael Levenson, New York Times, 16 Mar. 2024 The telegram to Friar Park provides the coda to the correspondence. Guy Martin, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024 Items up for sale include photos of Boyd, Harrison and Clapton, as well as postcards, telegrams and letters. Jack Guy, CNN, 27 Feb. 2024 Their deaths shocked the nation, and telegrams and letters of protest flooded into the White House. USA TODAY, 20 Feb. 2024 For her part, Boyd believes auctioning off these items (which include photos of herself, Harrison and Clapton, as well as postcards, telegrams and letters) is a part of her healing journey. Kyle Denis, Billboard, 27 Feb. 2024 So the book’s central mystery doesn’t wind up in San Francisco, but halfway around the world and five years later, when a series of telegrams draws all the women to Paris to face an enemy one final time. Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Feb. 2024 In 2006, Western Union delivered its last telegram. Chicago Tribune, 27 Jan. 2024 The number of victims in shootouts seemed to multiply on the back end of telegrams. Wil Haygood, Washington Post, 2 Nov. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'telegram.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

circa 1852, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1860, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of telegram was circa 1852

Dictionary Entries Near telegram

Cite this Entry

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

Kids Definition

telegram

noun
tele·​gram
ˈtel-ə-ˌgram,
 Southern also  -grəm
: a message sent by telegraph

More from Merriam-Webster on telegram

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