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Meaning & use

parcel mail

noun·Everyday

Last updated

UK/ˈpɑːsl meɪl/
US/ˈpɑːrsl meɪl/

Meanings

  1. noununcountable

    Postal service or items sent as packages rather than as ordinary letters.

    Grammar: Used as a mass noun: parcel mail is delayed, not a parcel mail.

    Patterns

    • send something by parcel mail
    • parcel mail service
    • parcel mail is delayed

    The shop sends all its orders by parcel mail.

    Parcel mail can take longer than letters around the holidays.

    Our parcel mail service delivers to every state.

  2. noununcountable

    The letters and especially the packages that a person or company receives.

    Grammar: Refers to a collection of items already received; no plural form.

    Patterns

    • check the parcel mail
    • a pile of parcel mail
    • sort the parcel mail

    She checks the parcel mail every morning before opening the shop.

    A mountain of parcel mail was waiting at the door after the weekend.

    He sorts the parcel mail into two piles: letters and boxes.

Common combinations

by parcel mail
The documents went by parcel mail because they were too thick for a normal envelope.
parcel mail service
The island has a weekly parcel mail service.
parcel mail delivery
Parcel mail delivery is slower in rural areas.
send something by parcel mail
I sent the books by parcel mail to save money.
parcel mail room
All packages arrive at the parcel mail room on the ground floor.

Synonyms and how they differ

parcel post
A more old-fashioned term for sending packages through the post; it sounds formal today.
package delivery
Focuses on the act of bringing packages to someone, not on the postal system itself.
mail
The general word for everything sent by post; parcel mail narrows this to packages.

Word family

parcel noun
A package wrapped for sending.
mail noun
Letters and packages sent through the postal system.
mailer noun
A container or company used for sending things by mail.

Commonly confused: parcel mail or parcel post? parcel mail or mail parcel?

parcel mail vs parcel post

Parcel post is the older official name of the service; parcel mail is a looser everyday phrase for packages handled by the post.

parcel mail vs mail parcel

This reverses the words and is not the usual order; use parcel mail or simply parcel.

Practice

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