snail mail

See synonyms for snail mail on Thesaurus.com
nounFacetious.
  1. physical delivery of mail, as contrasted with email.

  2. the letters, packages, etc., delivered this way.

Origin of snail mail

1
First recorded in 1980–85
  • Also called s-mail [es-meyl] /ˈɛsˌmeɪl/ .

Words Nearby snail mail

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

How to use snail mail in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for snail mail

snail mail

/ informal /


noun
  1. the conventional postal system, as opposed to electronic mail

verbsnail-mail
  1. (tr) to send by the conventional postal system, rather than by electronic mail

Origin of snail mail

1
C20: so named because of the relative slowness of the conventional postal system

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

Cultural definitions for snail mail

snail mail

A term used to denote mail sent via the traditional postal service, usually to contrast that process to e-mail.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Other Idioms and Phrases with snail mail

snail mail

Ordinary postal service, as opposed to electronic communications. For example, He hasn't taken to his computer so he's still using snail mail. This slangy idiom, alluding to the alleged slowness of the snail, caught on at least partly for its rhyme. [1980s]

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.