letter
1 Americannoun
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a written or printed communication addressed to a person or organization and usually transmitted by mail.
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a symbol or character that is conventionally used in writing and printing to represent a speech sound and that is part of an alphabet.
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a piece of printing type bearing such a symbol or character.
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a particular style of type.
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such types collectively.
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Often letters a formal document granting a right or privilege.
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actual terms or wording; literal meaning, as distinct from implied meaning or intent (opposed to spirit).
the letter of the law.
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(used with a singular or plural verb) letters,
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literature in general.
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the profession of literature.
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learning; knowledge, especially of literature.
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an emblem consisting of the initial or monogram of a school, awarded to a student for extracurricular activity, especially in athletics.
verb (used with object)
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letters,
present (3rd person singular)
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lettered,
past participle, past
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lettering
present participle
verb (used without object)
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letters,
present (3rd person singular)
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lettered,
past participle, past
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lettering
present participle
idioms
noun
noun
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any of a set of conventional symbols used in writing or printing a language, each symbol being associated with a group of phonetic values in the language; character of the alphabet
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a written or printed communication addressed to a person, company, etc, usually sent by post in an envelope
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the strict legalistic or pedantic interpretation of the meaning of an agreement, document, etc; exact wording as distinct from actual intention (esp in the phrase the letter of the law ) Compare spirit 1
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archaic printing a style of typeface
a fancy letter
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following the literal interpretation or wording exactly
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attending to every detail
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verb
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to write or mark letters on (a sign, etc), esp by hand
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(tr) to set down or print using letters
Synonym Usage
See literature.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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lettersimple
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letterssimple
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have letteredperfect
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has letteredperfect
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am letteringprogressive
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are letteringprogressive
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is letteringprogressive
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have been letteringperfect progressive
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has been letteringperfect progressive
Past
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letteredsimple
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had letteredperfect
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was letteringprogressive
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were letteringprogressive
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had been letteringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of letter1
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English, variant of lettre, from Old French, from Latin littera “alphabetic character”; in plural, “epistle, literature”
Origin of letter2
First recorded in 1550–60; let 1 + -er 1 ( def. )
Explanation
A letter is one of the characters that make up the alphabet. When a child first learns to write, she often starts with the letters in her name. Then she can write a message, or letter, to her grandmother. The alphabet begins with the letters a, b, c, d. These are written as capital letters when they appear at the start of a sentence or a proper noun, such as a person's name. Another letter is the kind you write and send to someone through the mail. Letter comes from the Old French letre, "character, letter, or note," from the Latin littera, "letter of the alphabet," and also "a writing or document."
Vocabulary lists containing letter
TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
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Foundational Reading
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Lessons 2–3
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
But your friend may be facing other financial issues that you did not mention in your letter.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026
Police had fingerprint evidence linking a high-profile councillor to a poison pen letter up to 12 months before he went on to target another politician in a "persistent and wicked" hate mail campaign.
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026
His message went viral, prompting Amodei, the founder of Anthropic, to issue a public letter calling for a slowdown.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026
“What if the college or university doesn’t tell anybody, doesn’t make any public statements, but still wants to do it,” he remarked about faculty hiring, according to the Justice letter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
Sancho was sent to deliver a letter to Dulcinea.
From "Adventures of Don Quixote" by Argentina Palacios
Ukrposhta does more than just collect letters and parcels.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
After being de-selected by Labour in 2022, he bombarded Banks with more than 100 offensive cards and letters until his fingerprints were found on one in summer 2025.
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026
Immediately it rattled off the numbers and letters, which it found in a photo of my vehicle registration renewal notice.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
De Paula tossed his bat aside, looked into the Dodgers dugout and slapped his chest across the letters.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2026
During this time, Joey receives stacks of letters, including one from Father Julien, who remembers the woman in black who tried to rescue his diary years ago.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
By 1956, hospital births were becoming more common, and midwifery textbooks were recommending that a "wrist name-tape" or "string of lettered china beads" should be attached directly to the newborn.
From BBC ● Jun. 7, 2025
He is confident that the Electra is so well-preserved in the icy depths that a photograph will show its radio registration — NR16020 — lettered on its wings.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 13, 2024
He lettered from 1963-65 on Kentucky’s varsity under Charlie Bradshaw after playing on the freshman squad and was a consensus first team All-America as a senior.
From Washington Times ● Oct. 30, 2023
He lettered three years as a punter and kicker in high school, and came to WSU as a preferred walk-on.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 17, 2023
In his senior year in high school, by sheer force of will, he lettered in—of all things—basketball.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
This early-to-mid 19th century craft involves applying artwork, lettering and gold leaf backwards onto glass panes, as often seen in traditional pubs or shop fronts.
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026
Sony said the renovations will honor “its historic legacy and singular moviegoing experience,” leaving the iconic red and blue exterior lettering intact.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
Accessorizing the lock box was a button with bold white lettering screaming at me to “PUSH FOR ASSISTANCE.”
From Salon ● May 22, 2026
The illuminated manuscript depicting the four Gospels of the Christian New Testament has been described as "the work of angels" due to the complexity of its lettering and illustrations.
From BBC ● Mar. 25, 2026
I bring my recipe notebook with the glittery purple lettering on the cover, and we go over our notes again.
From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
