post
mainly UK ( US usually mail ) letters and parcels that are delivered to homes or places of work
The package had been badly crushed in the post.
Oxford Essential Dictionary
noun
1 (British) (American mail) (no plural) the official system for sending and receiving letters, packages, etc.:
I sent your present by post.
2 (British) (American mail) (no plural) all the letters and packages that you send or receive:
Did you get any post this morning?
3 (plural posts) a job, especially an important one in a large organization:
a government post
4 (plural posts) a piece of wood or metal that stands in the ground to hold something or to show where something is:
The sign had fallen off the post.
a lamp post
Look at goalpost and signpost.
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
post
I. post1 S2 W2 /pəʊst $ poʊst/ BrE AmE noun
[Word Family: noun: ↑post, ↑postage, ↑postie, ↑posting; verb: ↑post; adjective: ↑postal]
1. JOB [countable] formal a job, especially an important one in a large organization SYN position:
I applied for the post and was asked to attend an interview.
She was offered the post of ambassador to India.
He will take up his post as Head of Modern Languages in September.
Goddard has held the post since 1998.
Unfortunately they were unable to find a suitable person to fill the post.
Mr Thomson resigned his £50,000 a year post in April.
She now holds a senior post in the Department of Education.
the creation of 4,000 new teaching posts
2. POSTAL SYSTEM the post British English the official system for carrying letters, packages etc from one place to another SYN mail
by post
The winners will be notified by post.
in the post
Your letter must have got lost in the post.
I’ll put a copy of the book in the post (=send it).
through the post
A parcel arrived through the post.
3. LETTERS [uncountable] British English letters, packages etc that are sent and delivered SYN mail:
Was there any post for me today?
Emma was opening her post.
4. COLLECTION/DELIVERY [singular, uncountable] British English when letters are collected or delivered SYN mail:
What time does the post go (=get collected)?
(the) first/second/last post (=the first, second etc collection or delivery of letters each day)
Applications must arrive by first post on September 23.
catch/miss the post (=post your letter in time for it to be collected, or not in time) ⇨ by return (of post) at ↑return2(11)
5. PIECE OF WOOD/METAL [countable] a strong upright piece of wood, metal etc that is fixed into the ground, especially to support something:
a fence post ⇨ ↑bedpost, ↑gatepost(1), ↑lamp-post, ↑signpost1(1)
6. FOOTBALL/HOCKEY ETC [countable] one of the two upright pieces of wood between which players try to kick or hit the ball in football, ↑hockey etc SYN goalpost:
The ball hit the post and bounced off.
7. NEWSPAPER [singular] used in the names of some newspapers:
the ‘Washington Post’
8. SOLDIER/GUARD ETC sb’s post the place where a soldier, guard etc is expected to be in order to do their job
at sb’s post
By 5 am the soldiers were already at their posts.
No one was allowed to leave their post.
9. border/military/customs/police post a place, especially one on a border, where soldiers or police are guarding, checking etc something
10. RACE the post (also the finishing post) the place where a race finishes, especially a horse race:
Mr Magic was first past the post.
11. INTERNET MESSAGE [countable] (also posting) a message sent to an Internet discussion group so that all members of the group can read it:
There was post after post criticizing the Minister.
⇨ as deaf as a post at ↑deaf(1), ⇨ be driven/passed from pillar to post at ↑pillar(4), ⇨ pip somebody at the post at ↑pip2(1), ⇨ ↑first-past-the-post
COLLOCATIONS (for Meaning 1)
■ verbs
▪ hold a post (=have a job) He had previously held the post of Foreign Minister.
▪ apply for a post I am writing to apply for the post of secretary.
▪ take up a post (=start a new job) She will take up her new post next month.
▪ leave a post The previous ambassador left his post in June.
▪ resign (from) a post (=leave it) John Sargent has resigned his post as chairman.
▪ be dismissed from a post (=be told to leave) As a result of the scandal, he was dismissed from his post.
▪ offer somebody a post He was offered the post of Secretary of State for Wales.
▪ appoint somebody to a post (=give someone a job officially) Mr Collingwood has been appointed to the post of Headteacher.
▪ fill a post (=find someone to do a job) They have advertised the post but it hasn't yet been filled.
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + post
▪ a senior post Senior posts in industry attract very high salaries.
▪ a junior post He was offered a junior post in a bank.
▪ a permanent/temporary post I have a two-year contract, not a permanent post.
▪ a full-time/part-time post a part-time post as a university lecturer
▪ a teaching post My first teaching post was in outer London.
▪ an administrative post For the next twelve years, he held various administrative posts in Bombay.
▪ a government post I decided to apply for a local government post.
COLLOCATIONS (for Meaning 2)
■ verbs
▪ send something by post They sent me the contract by post.
▪ put something in the post (=put it in a box to be collected) I put it in the post on Friday, so it should have arrived today.
▪ get something in the post (=receive it) Did you get anything in the post today?
▪ something comes/arrives in the post This letter came in the post this morning.
▪ something gets lost in the post I'm afraid the cheque must have got lost in the post.
■ adjectives
▪ first-class post The package arrived by first-class post.
▪ second-class post Items sent by second-class post can take up to five days to arrive.
COLLOCATIONS (for Meaning 4)
■ adjectives
▪ first/second/last post (=the first, second, or last collection or delivery of letters each day) The last post is at 5.30.
■ verbs
▪ catch the post (=post your letter in time for it to be collected) He wrote the letter hurriedly because he was anxious to catch the post.
▪ miss the post (=not post your letter in time for it to be collected) If I miss the post today, the card won’t arrive on her birthday.
▪ the post goes (=it is collected) The first post goes at 7.30 am.
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ job noun [countable] the regular paid work that you do for an employer: a full-time job | John got a job in a car factory.
▪ work noun [uncountable] activities that you are paid for doing – used either when you work for an employer or when you work in your own business: I started work when I was 18. | He graduated from college last year and is still looking for work.
▪ profession noun [countable] a job for which you need special education and training: There are now a lot more women in the legal profession. | Many teachers are leaving the profession.
▪ occupation noun [countable] formal a job, or a type of job – often used on official documents: Please give your name, age, and occupation. | a traditionally male occupation
▪ career noun [countable] the work you do or plan to do for most of your life: I’m interested in a career in journalism.
▪ position noun [countable] formal a particular job within an organization: I am writing to apply for the position of technical assistant. | We regret that the position has already been filled. | Please state the position which you are applying for.
▪ post noun [countable] formal a job, especially an important one in a large organization: She has held the post of managing director for two years. | He applied for the post of Senior Manager.
▪ vacancy/opening noun [countable] a job that is available for someone to do: The hospital has been unable to fill the vacancy. | There are very few openings in scientific research.
▪ appointment noun [countable] an important job which someone is asked to do: He took an appointment as US trade ambassador in Geneva.
▪ posting noun [countable] a situation in which someone is sent somewhere to do a job for a period of time by the organization they work for: This was his first posting outside the UK. | an overseas posting | His next posting took him to the Ministry of Defence.
▪ trade noun [countable] a job that involves using your hands, and for which you need special training: Most of the men had worked in skilled trades such as carpentry and printing.
▪ employment noun [uncountable] the fact of having a job: The factory will provide employment for local people. | She was offered employment in the sales office.
Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary
post
post [post posts posted posting] noun, verb [pəʊst] [poʊst]
noun
LETTERS
1. (BrE) (also mail NAmE, BrE) uncountable the official system used for sending and delivering letters, packages, etc
• I'll send the original to you by post.
• I'll put the information in the post to you tomorrow.
• My application got lost in the post.
2. (BrE) (also mail NAmE, BrE) uncountable letters, packages, etc. that are sent and delivered
• There was a lot of post this morning.
• Have you opened your post yet?
3. (BrE) uncountable, singular an occasion during the day when letters, etc. are collected or delivered
• to catch/miss the post
• The parcel came in this morning's post.
• Payment should be sent by return of post (= immediately).
• Do you get a second post here?
JOB
4. countable a job, especially an important one in a large organization
Syn: position
• an academic/government post
• to take up a post
• to resign (from) a post
• We will be creating 15 new posts next year.
• The company has been unable to fill the post.
• He has held the post for three years.
• She was offered a key post in the new government.
5. (especially NAmE) (BrE usually posting) an act of sending sb to a particular place to do their job, especially for a limited period of time
• an overseas post
• The island is rated by diplomats as a hardship post (= one that people do not like to be sent to because it is not a very comfortable place to live).
FOR SOLDIER/GUARD
6. countable the place where sb, especially a soldier, does their job
• a police/customs/military post
• an observation post
• The guards were ordered not to leave their posts.
• Three soldiers were shot dead at a border post.
see also last post, staging post, trading post
WOOD/METAL
7. countable (often in compounds) a piece of wood or metal that is set in the ground in a vertical position, especially to support sth or to mark a point
• corner posts (= that mark the corners of a sports field)
• The team's ‘net’ was a piece of string tied to two posts.
see also bedpost, gatepost, lamp post, signpost
END OF RACE
8. the post singular the place where a race finishes, especially in horse racing
see also first-past-the-post, winning post
FOOTBALL
9. countable, usually singular = goalpost
• The ball hit the post and bounced in.
INTERNET
10. (also post·ing) countable (computing) a message sent to a discussion group on the Internet; a piece of writing that forms part of a blog
• The forum does not allow posts from non-members.
• a blog post
• I love reading her posts because I learn so much.
• She wrote a great post about the experience on her blog.
see deaf as a post at deaf, be driven, pushed, etc. from pillar to post at pillar
Word Origin:
n. senses 6 to 8 and v. senses 6 to 7 Old English Latin postis ‘doorpost’ ‘rod, beam’ Middle English Old French post ‘pillar, beam’ Middle Dutch Middle Low German post ‘doorpost’
n. senses 1 to 3 and v. senses 1 to 3
early 16th cent. French poste Italian posta Latin posita ponere ‘to place’
n. senses 4 to 5 and v. senses 4 to 5 mid 16th cent. French poste Italian posto popular Latin positum ponere ‘to place’
Culture:
postal services
Most letters and packages posted in Britain are dealt with by the Royal Mail, which is part of the Royal Mail Group Ltd, together with Parcelforce, which delivers larger packages, and the Post Office, which manages the country’s many post offices. As well as selling stamps, post offices take in letters and packages that are to be sent by special delivery. Post offices also sell vehicle licences and often greetings cards and stationery. In villages they are often combined with a newsagent’s and general store. In recent years, many smaller post offices have been closed because they do not make a profit, though this often led to protests from local people.
Mail (= letters, bills, etc.) is often called post in British English. When sending a letter, people can choose between two levels of service, first class or the cheaper second class. Normally, first-class mail is delivered the day after it is posted and second-class mail within two or three days. Every address in Britain includes a postcode of letters and numbers, for example OX1 2PX for an address in Oxford, that makes it possible to sort the post by machine. Letters are posted in red postboxes, also called letter boxes. Each has a sign giving times of collections. Postmen and women deliver mail each morning direct to homes and businesses. They put the mail through a flap in the door, which is also called a letter box. In the country they travel round in red vans, but in towns and villages they often ride bicycles.
The system that deals with mail in the US, the US Postal Service (USPS), is an independent part of the government. Its head is the Postmaster General. Mail carriers, sometimes called mailmen though many are women, deliver mail to homes and businesses once a day. Most homes have mailboxes fixed outside, near the door. It is very uncommon for a house to have a letter box in the door for letters. People whose houses are a long way from the road have a special rural mailbox by the road. This has a flag which the mail carrier raises so that the people in the house can see when they have mail. To mail (= send) a letter, people leave it on top of their own mailbox or put it in one of the many blue mailboxes in cities and towns. Every address in the US includes an abbreviation for the name of the state and a ZIP code, which is used to help sort the mail. Post offices sell stamps and deal with mail that has to be insured. Most cities have one post office which stays open late. Americans complain about the Postal Service, but it usually does an efficient job at a reasonable price.
In the US only Postal Service can deliver mail to letter boxes and the Service has a monopoly on first-class mail that is not urgent.In Britain the post office lost its monopoly on delivery of post in 2006. In both countries there are many companies who provide courier and messenger services for urgent mail. The largest of these include FedEx and DHL. In Britain private companies may also deliver mail to letter boxes.
Thesaurus:
post noun
1. U (BrE)
• Have you opened your post yet?
mail • • letter • |formal correspondence •
post/mail/a letter/correspondence from/to sb
open the post/the mail/a letter
the post/the mail/a letter arrives
2. C
• The was a high roof supported by wooden posts.
pillar • • column • • support • • girder •
tall posts/pillars/columns
a/an iron/steel post/pillar/column/support/girder
a wooden post/pillar/column/support
a post/pillar/column/girder supports sth
British/American:
post / mail
Nouns
In BrE the official system used for sending and delivering letters, parcels/packages, etc. is usually called the post. In NAmE it is usually called the mail: ▪ I’ll put an application form in the post/mail for you today. ◊ ▪ Send your fee by post/mail to this address. Mail is sometimes used in BrE in such expressions as ▪ the Royal Mail. Post occurs in NAmE in such expressions as ▪ the US Postal Service.
In BrE post is also used to mean the letters, parcels/packages, etc. that are delivered to you. Mail is the usual word in NAmE and is sometimes also used in BrE: ▪ Was there any post/mail this morning? ◊ ▪ I sat down to open my post/mail. Verbs
Compare: ▪ I’ll post the letter when I go out. (BrE) and ▪ I’ll mail the letter when I go out. (NAmE)Compounds
Note these words: postman (BrE), mailman/mail carrier (both NAmE); postbox (BrE), mailbox (NAmE) Some compounds are used in both BrE and NAmE: post office, postcard, mail order.
Synonyms:
job
position • post • vacancy • appointment
These are all words for a position doing work for which you receive regular payment.
job • a position doing work for which you receive regular payment: ▪ He's trying to get a job in a bank.
position • (rather formal) a job: ▪ a senior position in a large corporation
job or position?
Position usually refers to a particular job within an organization, especially at a high level, and is not usually used about about jobs generally. It is also often used in job applications, descriptions and advertisements.
post • a job, especially an important one in a large organization: ▪ a key post in the new government
vacancy • a job that is available for sb to do: ▪ We have several vacancies for casual workers.
appointment • (rather formal, especially BrE) a job or position of responsibility: ▪ This is a permanent appointment, requiring commitment and hard work.
a permanent/temporary job/position/post/vacancy/appointment
a full-time/part-time job/position/post/vacancy/appointment
to have/have got a(n) job/position/post/vacancy/appointment
to apply for/fill a job/position/post/vacancy
to resign from/leave/quit a job/position/post
Example Bank:
• He steered a shot between the goalkeeper and the near post.
• He took up a teaching post at Basle University.
• He was dismissed from his post when he was found to have accepted bribes.
• I sent it by first-class post.
• I want to apologize for not making a post on Friday.
• If you hurry you'll just catch the last post.
• More info can be found in my first post on the subject.
• My application for the job is in the post.
• Orders will be sent by return of post.
• Seth made a blog post titled ‘Rules of Engagement’.
• She applied for the new post of training officer.
• She arrived at the office early and checked her post.
• She led for most of the way before being pipped at the post.
• The first horse past the post wins the race.
• The guard took up his post at the gate.
• The gun crew were at their posts.
• The sentries had deserted their posts.
• To respond to your comments, please see my previous post.
• He has held the post for five years.
• He was first past the winning post.
• Ideally I'm looking for an academic post.
• She tied the dog to a post.
• She's due to take up the post next month.
• The book arrived in the morning post.
• The car skidded and hit a lamp post.
• The team's ‘net’ was a piece of string tied to two posts.
• Three company directors have resigned (from) their posts.
• We have been unable to fill the post.
• a Cabinet post
• corner posts
Idiom: keep somebody posted
Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary
Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 4th Edition
post / pəʊst / / poʊst / noun (LETTERS)
A2 [ U ] mainly UK ( US usually mail ) letters and parcels that are delivered to homes or places of work:
I'd been away for a few days so I had a lot of post waiting for me.
Unless it's marked 'private', my secretary usually opens my post.
Has the post come/arrived yet?
A2 [ U ] mainly UK ( US usually mail ) the public system that exists for the collecting and delivering of letters:
My letter must have got lost in the post.
If you don't want to take it there, you can just send it by post.
[ S ] UK the time during the day when letters, etc. are collected or delivered:
I missed the post this morning.
Did you manage to catch the post?
post / pəʊst / / poʊst / noun (JOB)
B2 [ C ] a job in a company or organization:
Teaching posts are advertised in Tuesday's edition of the paper.
She's held the post for 13 years.
They have several vacant posts.
post / pəʊst / / poʊst / noun (POLE)
[ C ] a vertical stick or pole fixed into the ground, usually to support something or show a position [ C ] used as a combining form:
a lamppost
a signpost
the post in the sport of horse racing, the place where the race finishes or, less often, the place from which the race starts in sports such as football, a goalpost (= either of two vertical posts showing the area in which the ball is kicked to score points)
See picture sports 2
post / pəʊst / / poʊst / noun [ C ] (PLACE)
the particular place where someone works, especially where a soldier is told to be for military duty, usually as a guard:
The soldier was disciplined for deserting his post.
I was ordered to remain at my post until the last customer had left.
post / pəʊst / / poʊst / noun (MESSAGE)
an electronic message that you send to a website in order to allow many people to see it
→ Compare posting (MESSAGE)
© Cambridge University Press 2013
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary
post
I [po͟ʊst]LETTERS, PARCELS, AND INFORMATION
posts, posting, posted
1) N-SING: the N, also by N The post is the public service or system by which letters and packages are collected and delivered. [mainly BRIT]
You'll receive your book through the post...
The winner will be notified by post...
The cheque is in the post.
Syn:
mail(in AM, usually use mail)
2) N-UNCOUNT You can use post to refer to letters and packages that are delivered to you. [mainly BRIT]
He flipped through the post without opening any of it...
There has been no post in three weeks.
Syn:
mail(in AM, usually use mail)
3) N-UNCOUNT: supp N Post is used to refer to an occasion when letters or packages are delivered. For example, first post on a particular day is the first time that things are delivered. [mainly BRIT]
Entries must arrive by first post next Wednesday...
They just have to wait patiently for the next post.
Syn:
delivery
4) VERB If you post a letter or package, you send it to someone by putting it in a post box or by taking it to a post office. [mainly BRIT]
[V n] If I write a letter, would you post it for me?...
[V n n] I'm posting you a cheque tonight...
[V n to n] I posted a letter to Stanley saying I was an old Army friend.
Syn:
mail
PHRASAL VERB
Post off means the same as post. V n P He'd left me to pack up the mail and post it off... V P n (not pron) All you do is complete and post off a form. (in AM, usually use mail)
5) VERB If you post notices, signs, or other pieces of information somewhere, you fix them to a wall or board so that everyone can see them.
[V n] Officials began posting warning notices...
[V n prep/adv] She has posted photographs on bulletin boards.
PHRASAL VERB
Post up means the same as post. V n P He has posted a sign up that says `No Fishing'... Also V n P prep/adv V P n (not pron) We post up a set of rules for the house.
6) VERB If you post information on the Internet, you make the information available to other people on the Internet.
[be V-ed] A consultation paper has been posted on the Internet inviting input from Net users.
7) PHRASE: keep inflects, oft PHR on/with n If you keep someone posted, you keep giving them the latest information about a situation that they are interested in.
Keep me posted on your progress.II [po͟ʊst]JOBS AND PLACES
posts, posting, posted
1) N-COUNT: usu with supp, oft N of/as n A post in a company or organization is a job or official position in it, usually one that involves responsibility. [FORMAL]
She had earlier resigned her post as President Menem's assistant...
Sir Peter has held several senior military posts.
Syn:
position
2) VERB: usu passive If you are posted somewhere, you are sent there by the organization that you work for and usually work there for several years.
[be V-ed prep/adv] After training she was posted to Brixton...
[be V-ed prep/adv] It is normal to spend two or three years working in this country before being posted overseas.
3) N-COUNT: usu poss N You can use post to refer to the place where a soldier, guard, or other person has been told to remain and to do his or her job.
Quick men, back to your post!
Syn:
station, position
4) VERB If a soldier, guard, or other person is posted somewhere, they are told to stand there, in order to supervise an activity or guard a place.
[be V-ed prep/adv] Police have now been posted outside all temples...
[V n prep/adv] British Rail had to post a signalman at the entrance to the tunnel...
[V-ed] We have guards posted near the windows. [Also be V-ed]
Syn:
position
5) → See also posting, staging postIII [po͟ʊst]POLES
posts
(Please look at category 4 to see if the expression you are looking for is shown under another headword.)
1) N-COUNT A post is a strong upright pole made of wood or metal that is fixed into the ground.
You have to get eight wooden posts, and drive them into the ground...
The device is fixed to a post.
Syn:
pole
2) N-COUNT A post is the same as a goalpost.
Wimbledon were unlucky not to win after hitting the post twice.
Syn:
goalpost
3) N-SING: the N On a horse-racing track, the post is a pole which marks the finishing point.
4) → See also first-past-the-post
to pip someone at the post → see pip
Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary
4post noun, pl posts
1 [count]
a : the place where a soldier or guard is told to be
• No matter what happens, do not abandon your post. [=do not leave your assigned area]
• a command post
b : the place where someone does a job
• The bartender returned to her post behind the counter.
c : a place where soldiers are sent to live for a period of time : camp
• My cousin's Army unit was recently sent to a post in Alaska.
• The large post houses over 25,000 people.
- see also staging post
2 [count] : a usually important job or position in a large organization
• Our old supervisor just retired, so they're looking for someone to fill his post.
• He resigned from his post as superintendent of public schools.
• She applied for a government/administrative post.
3 [count] : trading post
4 the post basketball
a : the area on a basketball court that is near the basket
• He was standing in the post all alone.
b : the position of a player who is in the post
• She usually plays the post.
- compare 1post, 3post
3post noun, pl posts
1 [noncount] chiefly Brit
a : postal service
• We don't have a telephone at the cottage, so contact us by post. [=mail]
• There are strict rules against sending dangerous materials through the post.
b : letters or packages sent by post : mail
• He got a summer job delivering the post.
• Has the post come yet?
• After lunch, she sat and read the post.
• I put the payment in the post [=I mailed the payment] this morning.
- see also parcel post
2 [count] : a message on an online message board
• The Internet newsgroup is very active, with over 50 posts per day.
- called also posting,
by return of post
- see 2return
- compare 1post, 4post
1post /ˈpoʊst/ noun, pl posts [count]
1 : a piece of wood or metal that is set in an upright position into or on the ground especially as a support or marker
• fence posts
- see picture at house
2 : a pole that marks the starting or finishing point of a horse race - usually singular
• a horse's post position [=the position of a horse in the line of horses at the start of a race]
• (Brit) The horses galloped toward the finishing post.
3 : goalpost
- usually singular
• The shot hit the post.
from pillar to post
- see pillar
- compare 3post, 4post
