mail ◆◇◇ /me I l/ (mails , mailing , mailed )
1 N‑SING [oft by N ] The mail is the public service or system by which letters and parcels are collected and delivered. □ Your check is in the mail. □ The firm has offices in several large cities, but does most of its business by mail.
2 N‑UNCOUNT [oft the N ] You can refer to letters and parcels that are delivered to you as mail . □ There was no mail except the usual junk addressed to the occupier.
3 VERB If you mail a letter or parcel to someone, you send it to them by putting it in a post box or taking it to a post office. [mainly AM ] □ [V n + to ] Last year, he mailed the documents to French journalists. □ [V n n] He mailed me the contract. □ [V n + with ] The Government has already mailed some 18 million households with details of the public offer. [Also V n] in BRIT, usually use post 4 VERB To mail a message to someone means to send it to them by means of email or a computer network. □ [be V -ed prep] …if a report must be electronically mailed to an office by 9 am the next day. [Also V n] ● N‑UNCOUNT Mail is also a noun. □ If you have any problems then send me some mail.
5 → see also mailing , chain mail , electronic mail , email , hate mail , junk mail , surface mail
▸ mail out PHRASAL VERB If someone mails out things such as letters, leaflets, or bills, they send them to a large number of people at the same time. [mainly AM ] □ [V P n] This week, the company mailed out its annual report. [Also V n P ] in BRIT, use send out COLLOCATIONS mail NOUN 2
noun + mail : fan, hate, junk, snail
adjective + mail : first-class, second-class; undelivered, unopened, unsolicited
verb + mail : deliver, forward, redirect, send; receive
mail|bag /me I lbæg/ (mailbags ) also mail bag N‑COUNT A mailbag is a large bag that is used by postal workers for carrying mail.
mail|box /me I lbɒks/ (mailboxes )
1 N‑COUNT A mailbox is a box outside your house where your letters are delivered. [AM ]
2 N‑COUNT A mailbox is a metal box in a public place, where you put letters and packets to be collected. They are then sorted and delivered. [mainly AM ] in BRIT, use post box 3 N‑COUNT [usu sing] On a computer, your mailbox is the file where your email is stored.
mail|ing /me I l I ŋ/ (mailings )
1 N‑UNCOUNT Mailing is the activity of sending things to people through the postal service. □ The newsletter was printed towards the end of June in readiness for mailing. □ The owners of the store have stepped up customer mailings.
2 N‑COUNT A mailing is something that is sent to people through the postal service. □ The seniors organizations sent out mailings to their constituencies.
mai l|ing list (mailing lists ) N‑COUNT A mailing list is a list of names and addresses that a company or organization keeps, so that they can send people information or advertisements.
mail|man /me I lmæn/ (mailmen ) N‑COUNT A mailman is a man whose job is to collect and deliver letters and parcels that are sent by post. [AM ] in BRIT, usually use postman
mai l me rge N‑UNCOUNT Mail merge is a word processing procedure which enables you to combine a document with a data file, for example a list of names and addresses, so that copies of the document are different for each person it is sent to. [COMPUTING ] □ He sent every member of staff a mail-merge letter wishing them a merry Christmas.
mai l o r|der (mail orders )
1 N‑UNCOUNT [oft by N , N n] Mail order is a system of buying and selling goods. You choose the goods you want from a company by looking at their catalogue, and the company sends them to you by post. □ The toys are available by mail order from Opi Toys.
2 N‑COUNT [usu pl] Mail orders are goods that have been ordered by mail order. [mainly AM ] □ I supervise the packing of all mail orders.
mail|shot /me I lʃɒt/ (mailshots ) N‑COUNT A mailshot is a letter advertising something or appealing for money for a particular charity. Mailshots are sent out to a large number of people at once. [BRIT ]
maim /me I m/ (maims , maiming , maimed ) VERB To maim someone means to injure them so badly that part of their body is permanently damaged. □ [V n] Mines have been scattered in rice paddies and jungles, maiming and killing civilians.
main ◆◆◆ /me I n/ (mains )
1 ADJ The main thing is the most important one of several similar things in a particular situation. □ …one of the main tourist areas of Amsterdam. □ My main concern now is to protect the children. □ What are the main differences and similarities between them?
2 PHRASE If you say that something is true in the main , you mean that it is generally true, although there may be exceptions. □ Tourists are, in the main, sympathetic people.
3 N‑COUNT [usu pl] The mains are the pipes which supply gas or water to buildings, or which take sewage away from them. □ …the water supply from the mains. □ The capital has been without mains water since Wednesday night.
4 N‑PLURAL The mains are the wires which supply electricity to buildings, or the place where the wires end inside the building. [mainly BRIT ] □ …amplifiers which plug into the mains.
mai n clau se (main clauses ) N‑COUNT A main clause is a clause that can stand alone as a complete sentence. Compare subordinate clause .