- 1 a written or spoken piece of information, etc. that you send to somebody or leave for somebody when you cannot speak to them yourself There were no messages for me at the hotel. We've had an urgent message saying that your father's ill. Jenny's not here at the moment. Can I take a message? I left a message on her voicemail. I've been trying to get you all day—don't you ever listen to your messages? message (from somebody) (to somebody) Messages of support have been arriving from all over the country. a televised message from the President to the American people Express YourselfLeaving a phone messageIf you phone someone who is not able to take your call, you may need to leave a message: Could I speak to Jay Black, please? Could you give him a message? Is there a time that might be good for me to try him again? Can you let him know I’ll call back? Could you ask him to call me back? My number is… Wordfindercallarea code, call, dial, engaged, hold, line, message, phone, ring, voicemail see also error message Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectiveimportant, urgent, vital, … verb + messageconvey, give somebody, pass somebody, … message + verbcome, say something, state something, … prepositionmessage about, message for, message from, …
- 2 a piece of information sent in electronic form, for example by email or mobile/cell phone an email message There were four messages in my inbox. He sent me a message. Wordfindermessageaddress, attachment, compose, draft, email, emoticon, forward, inbox, message, re Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectiveimportant, urgent, vital, … verb + messageconvey, give somebody, pass somebody, … message + verbcome, say something, state something, … prepositionmessage about, message for, message from, …
- 3 [usually singular] an important moral, social or political idea that a book, speech, etc. is trying to communicate a film with a strong religious message The campaign is trying to get the message across to young people that drugs are dangerous. The clear message coming from the government is that they are getting tough on crime. Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectivecentral, core, important, … verb + messagebroadcast, disseminate, spread, … message + verbemerge, reach somebody, resonate with somebody, … prepositionmessage about, message of, message to, …
- 4a piece of information that is sent from the brain to a part of the body, or from a part of the body to the brain The message arrives in your brain in a fraction of a second.
- 5messages [plural] (Scottish English) shopping to do the messages to go for the messages You can leave your messages (= the things that you have bought) here. Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French, based on Latin missus, past participle of mittere ‘send’.Extra examples A message pops up on the screen. A radio message reached the pilot. A radio message was sent out to all ships in the area. Are there any messages for me? Does this send the right message to our target audience? He comes looking for Roxane, bringing a message from De Guiche. He has sent me a dozen instant messages today. He presents a truly chilling message in this article. He tries to spread the message of safe sex. He’s not here—I’ll pass on the message. Her message is resonating with many evangelicals. His choices are sending mixed messages to voters. I got an anonymous text message. I had 127 voice mail messages waiting for me. I keep getting an error message when I try to connect to the Internet. I left a message for her at reception. I never got your message. I recorded a new message for my phone. I think this movie sends the wrong message to her young fans. I turned on my cell phone to check messages. She’s out—can I take a message? The email message contains an attachment. The family sent a heartfelt message of thanks to everyone who helped. The message was to your sister, not you. The president toured the country spreading the message of national unity. The take-home message is: be willing to negotiate. There was a message about the meeting. They found a way to transform their ideas into a marketing message that everyone relates to. They sent messages of hope to prisoners of war. This allowed us to bring our message to a different, younger audience. This is sending a strong message about the importance of climate change. This song has a universal message that everybody can relate to. This statement carries a crucial message for other workers. We need to get this important message across to teenage smokers. We tailor the message to fit the specific audience. When I dial the number I’m greeted by a recorded message. Who wants spam messages appearing on their website? a novel with a serious message a party with an anti-immigrant message a urgent message from your mother if you want to post a message in an online guest book spam messages sent to your email address spreading the message of the Bible stories with hidden moral messages the negative messages we send out the subversive messages their films carry I left a message on her answering machine. I’ve been trying to get you all day—don’t you ever listen to your messages? The computer displays an error message when I try to run the program. This is a film with a strong religious message. Victoria’s not here at the moment. Can I take a message? We received an urgent message from the hospital.Idioms
noun jump to other results
BrE BrE//ˈmesɪdʒ//; NAmE NAmE//ˈmesɪdʒ//
Email, Text messages, Mobile devices, Elements of a story(informal) to understand what somebody is trying to tell you indirectly When he started looking at his watch, I got the message and left.
(of a politician) stating/not stating the official view of their political party
Check pronunciation: message
