- (British English also post)[uncountable]
the official system used for sending and delivering letters, packages, etc. 邮政；邮递系统 a mail service/train/van 邮政服务／列车／汽车 the Royal Mail 皇家邮政 - (especially North American English)
regular/postal mail (= rather than email) 普通/邮政邮件 - in the mail
Hard copies of the documents are in the mail to you. 文件的硬拷贝已经邮寄给你了。 - by mail
We do our business by mail. 我们通过邮递做生意。 - through the mail
Never send cash through the mail. 不要通过邮件发送现金。 - (especially North American English) via mail
We did not get any message via mail or email. 我们没有通过邮件或电子邮件收到任何消息。
Culture postal servicespostal servicesMost letters and many packages sent in Britain are dealt with by the Royal Mail, which is part of the Royal Mail Group Ltd. The Post Office manages the country's many post offices. The Royal Mail is a private limited company, having been sold by the government in 2013. As well as selling stamps, post offices take in letters and packages that are to be sent by special delivery. They also offer foreign currency exchange. Small post offices are now often based in a newsagent's or other shop, rather than being in a separate building. In recent years, many smaller post offices have been closed because they do not make a profit, though this has led to protests from local people.Mail 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 OX2 6DP 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 postwomen deliver mail Monday to Saturday direct to homes and businesses. They put the mail through a flap in the door, which is also called a letter box. In rural areas they travel round in red vans, but in towns and villages they usually go from house to house on foot or on 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 or mailwomen, deliver mail to homes and businesses once a day, Monday to Saturday. Most homes have mailboxes (= small boxes where letters can be put) fixed outside, near the door. It is very unusual 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 for mail to be delivered to. The mailbox has a flag which is raised to let the mail carrier know when there is mail inside to be collected for sending. In cities and towns letters to be sent are posted in one of the many blue mailboxes. 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 the 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 does not have a monopoly on delivery of post. 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.see also airmail, certified mail, snail mail, V-mail™, voicemailExtra ExamplesIf we want to send something to another department, we use the internal mail. 我们如要把东西送到另一部门，就用内部邮递。 Send it by first-class mail. 以第一类邮件寄出去。 Millions of people registered to vote by mail. 数百万人通过邮件登记投票。 If you're sending correspondence through the mail these days, why not design your own stamps? 如果你现在通过邮件发送信件，为什么不自己设计邮票呢？
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- certified
- registered
- express
- …
- item
- piece
- sackful
- …
- post
- send
- get
- …
- come
- go
- delivery
- order
- message
- …
- by mail
- in the mail
- (British English also post)[uncountable]
letters, packages, etc. that are sent and delivered 邮件；信件；邮包 There isn't much mail today. 今天邮件不多。 I sat down to open the mail. 我坐下来打开信件。 to send/receive/deliver mail 发送/接收/投递邮件 - in the mail
Is there a letter from them in the mail? 邮件里有他们来的信吗？ Remember to cancel mail delivery when you go on vacation. 当你去度假时，记得取消邮件递送。
Homophones mail | malemail male- mail noun
I think the card got lost in the mail. 我想卡片在邮寄中丢失了。
- mail verb
I'll mail you a formal invitation. 我会给你发一封正式的邀请函。
- male adjective
The male characters in the book are all well drawn. 书中的男性角色都画得很好。
- male noun
The strongest male will become the leader of the pack. 最强壮的男性将成为群体的领导者。
British/American post / mailpost / mailsee also direct mail, fan mail, hate mail, junk mail, return mail, surface mailNouns 名词 - In British English the official system used for sending and delivering letters, parcels/packages, etc. is usually called the post. In North American English it is usually called the mail:
I’ll put an application form in the post/mail for you today. 我今天会把申请表邮寄给你。 Send your fee by post/mail to this address. 将费用邮寄到此地址。
the Royal Mail. 在英式英语中，mail 有时用于 the Royal Mail （皇家邮政）等短语中。
the US Postal Service. 在美式英语中，post 出现在 the US Postal Service （美国邮政管理局）等短语中。
- In British English post is also used to mean the letters, parcels/packages, etc. that are delivered to you. Mail is the usual word in North American English and is sometimes also used in British English:
Was there any post/mail this morning? 今早有邮件吗？ I sat down to open my post/mail. 我坐下来打开我的邮件。
- Compare:
比较： I’ll post the letter when I go out. 我出门时去寄这封信。（英式英语） ( BrE
与： I’ll mail the letter when I go out. 我出门时去寄这封信。（美式英语）
Compounds 复合词 - Note these words: postman (British English), mailman/mail carrier (both North American English); postbox (British English), mailbox (North American English) Some compounds are used in both British English and North American English: post office, postcard, mail order.
Extra ExamplesHas the mail come yet? 邮件来了没有？ Some people let their assistants handle the mail. 有些人让助手处理邮件。 The mail is collected twice a day. 邮件一天收两次。 The postcode allows the mail to be sorted automatically. 邮政编码使得邮件可由机器自动分拣。 We had our mail redirected when we moved out. 搬家后我们让邮局给我们转寄邮件。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- certified
- registered
- express
- …
- item
- piece
- sackful
- …
- post
- send
- get
- …
- come
- go
- delivery
- order
- message
- …
- by mail
- in the mail
- [uncountable, countable]
messages/a message sent or received on a computer 电子邮件；电邮 Check regularly for new mail. 定期查看新邮件。 She checked her mail before leaving the hotel. 在离开宾馆前，她查看了邮件。 You've got mail. 有你的信件。 incoming/outgoing mail 接收／发送的电子邮件 The company's mail server was down. 公司的邮件服务器坏了。 You can delete your mails with a single swipe. 只需轻轻一扫，您就可以删除您的邮件。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- certified
- registered
- express
- …
- item
- piece
- sackful
- …
- post
- send
- get
- …
- come
- go
- delivery
- order
- message
- …
- by mail
- in the mail
used in the title of some newspapers （用作报纸名称）邮报 the Mail on Sunday 《星期日邮报》
- (also chain mail)[uncountable]
armour (= clothing to protect the body when fighting) made of small metal rings linked together 锁子甲（护身铠甲） a coat of mail 一副锁子甲
Word OriginMiddle English (in the sense ‘travelling bag’): from Old French male ‘wallet’, of West Germanic origin. The sense “by post” dates from the mid 17th cent.