general delivery

See synonyms for general delivery on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a postal service that delivers mail to a specific post office where it is held for pickup by the addressee.

  2. the postal department that handles such mail.

Origin of general delivery

1
An Americanism dating back to 1830–40

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use general delivery in a sentence

  • If the stove draws too hard, close the damper in the pipe and shut the general delivery window.

    Remarks | Bill Nye

British Dictionary definitions for general delivery

general delivery

nounUS and Canadian
  1. an address on mail indicating that it should be kept at a specified post office until collected by the addressee

  2. the mail-delivery service or post-office department that handles mail having this address

  • Also called (not in the US or Canada): poste restante

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012