Etymology Inherited from Middle English post, from Old English post (“pillar, door-post”) and Old French post (“post, upright beam”), both from Latin postis (“door, post, doorpost”).
Etymology Borrowed from Middle French poste, from Italian posta (“stopping-place for coaches”), feminine of posto (“placed, situated”).
1
With the post, on post-horses; by a relay of horses (changing at every staging-post); hence, express, with speed, quickly.
His highness comes post from Marseilles,c. 1604–1605 (date written), William Shakespeare, “All’s Well, that Ends Well”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene v]:
In this posture were affairs at the inn when a gentleman arrived there post.1749, Henry Fielding, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, volume (please specify |volume=I to VI), London: A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC:
2 more examples
We therefore determined to change Horses at the next Town and to travel Post the remainder of the Journey.1790, Jane Austen, “Love and Freindship”, in Juvenilia:
He prided himself on looking neat even when he was riding post.1886 November 23, Rudyard Kipling, “The Arrest of Lieutenant Golightly”, in Plain Tales from the Hills, 2nd edition, Calcutta: Thacker, Spink and Co.; London: W. Thacker & Co., published 1888, →OCLC, pages 134–135:
2
Sent via the postal service.
post
prep
Etymology Borrowed from Latin post.
1
After; especially after a significant event that has long-term ramifications.
One of the most appealing things for me about Barack Obama has always been that he comes post the post-60s generation.2008, Michael Tomasky, “Obama cannot let the right cast him in that 60s show”, in The Guardian:
Lew reckons he had three options for the cash-cow which was Premier post the Coles sale.2008, Matthew Stevens, “Lew pressured to reveal what he knows”, in The Australian:
Computing, Engineering, Mathematics, Natural sciences, Physical sciences, Sciences To successfully perform a power-on self-test.
The computer had a bunch of strange components, but it still POSTed so I assumed everything worked.
post
verb
Etymology Inherited from Middle English post, from Old English post (“pillar, door-post”) and Old French post (“post, upright beam”), both from Latin postis (“door, post, doorpost”).
To hang (a notice) in a conspicuous manner for general review.
Post no bills.
Martin Luther posted his ninety five theses on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenburg.
2
Broadly To announce publicly; to publish.
The company posted record profits this quarter.
Although New York City preceded many large cities in posting a drop in homicides and other violent offenses in the early 1990s, by the end of the decade it also seemed to be at the forefront of a possible cyclical rebound.2001, Bernard E. Harcourt, chapter 4, in Illusion of Order:
1 more example
He’s saying if you can’t win, quitting is okay? What would the PGA say if golfers quit the tournament after posting a high score?2024 August 23, @jbodineh, Twitter:
3
To hold up to public blame or reproach; to advertise opprobriously; to denounce by public proclamation.
to post someone for cowardice
On Pain of being posted to your Sorrow Fail not, at Four, to meet me here To-morrow.1732, George Granville, Epilogue to the She-Gallants, line 13:
You have not poſted your Books theſe Ten years; hovv is it poſſible for a Man of Buſineſs to keep his Affairs even in the VVorld at this rate?1712, Humphry Polesworth [pseudonym; John Arbuthnot], “Of John Bull’s Second Wife, and the Good Advice that She Gave Him”, in Law is a Bottomless-Pit. […], London: […] John Morphew, […], →OCLC, page 18:
5
To inform; to give the news to; to make acquainted with the details of a subject; often with up.
thoroughly posted up in the politics and literature of the day1872 March 2, “Interviewing a Prince”, in Saturday Review, volume 33, number 853, London, page 273:
› To deposit a payment that may or may not be returned.
For example, if the police or court sets bail at $1,000, and a suspect owns a fancy watch worth at least that amount, the defendant may be able to use the watch to post bail.2022 January 1, Paul Bergman, Sara J. Berman, The Criminal Law Handbook: Know Your Rights, Survive the System, Nolo, →ISBN:
3 more examples
Because wealthy defendants are better positioned to post bail or provide collateral, the American bail system has been criticized as being biased against the poor.2010 May 18, David Andrew Schultz, Encyclopedia of the United States Constitution, Infobase Publishing, →ISBN, page 45:
Carmen posted a $15,000 bond, and like the other Valenzuelas before her, failed to appear for trial. Morgan's scorecard for case 4: 4.4 pounds seized, 2 Valenzuelas arrested, 1 Valenzuela dismissed, 1 bail jump.2006 05, Robert Perry, Dirty Money, iUniverse, →ISBN, page 34:
When you post bail, and the case is over, the court system will take 30 percent of that bail which, in this example, will be $3,000 of the original 10 percent that you posted. Hence, you will get $7,000 back.1996, Lee N. June, Matthew Parker, Men to Men: Perspectives of Sixteen African-American Christian Men, Harper Collins, →ISBN, page 201:
Obsolete Each of a series of men stationed at specific places along a postroad, with responsibility for relaying letters and dispatches of the monarch (and later others) along the route.
2
Dated A station, or one of a series of stations, established for the refreshment and accommodation of travellers on some recognized route.
a stage or railway post
3
A military base; the place at which a soldier or a body of troops is stationed; also, the troops at such a station.
September 6th.—The English mail of the 10th of July arrived to-day, and while Mr. Hart was at the Foreign Office engaged on business with Wan-se-ang and Hang-Ki, he received his Shang-hai letters, one of which contained the news of the recapture by the Imperial forces of the cities of Woo-tu and Nan-ching, two important rebel posts.1865, David Field Rennie, M.D., Peking and the Pekingese, volume II, London: John Murray, page 42:
4
Historical Someone who travels express along a set route carrying letters and dispatches; a courier.
I fear my Julia would not deign my lines, Receiving them from such a worthless post.c. 1590–1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Two Gentlemen of Verona”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iii], line 152:
in certain ſet places there be alwaies fresh Poſts, to carry that further which is brought unto them by the others1599, George Abbot, Geography, or a Brief Description of the Whole World:
1 more example
information was filtered through the counting-houses and warehouses of Antwerp; posts galloped along the roads of the Low Countries, while dispatches streamed through Calais, and were passed off the merchant galleys arriving in London from the Flanders ports.2011, Thomas Penn, Winter King: Henry VII and the Dawn of Tudor England, Penguin, published 2012, page 199:
5
Australia, India, Ireland, New Zealand, UK An organisation for delivering letters, parcels etc., or the service provided by such an organisation.
I sent a parcel via/by post.
I take it too as an opportunity of sending you the fair copy of the poem on Dullness, which was not then finished, and which I should not care to hazard by the common post.1707, Alexander Pope, Letter VII (to Mr. Wycherly), November 11
6
Australia, India, Ireland, New Zealand, UK A single delivery of letters; the letters or deliveries that make up a single batch delivered to one person or one address.
Royal Mail worker Evette Chapman gathered a team of 12 colleagues to deliver post in fancy dress and raise money for a nurses' charity and patients in Musgrove Park Hospital, Taunton.2020 November 18, “Stop & Examine”, in Rail, page 71:
7
A message posted in an electronic or Internet forum, or on a blog, etc.
Oli conceded defeat and, in a post on X Saturday, congratulated Shah. “Balen Babu, Congratulations to you for the victory! May your five-year tenure be smooth and successful—heartfelt best wishes!”2026 March 11, Chad de Guzman, “Who Is Balendra Shah, the Rapper On Track to Become Nepal’s Next Prime Minister”, in TIME, archived from the original on 11 Mar 2026:
8
American football, Ball games, Football, Games, Hobbies, Lifestyle, Sports A moderate to deep passing route in which a receiver runs 10-20 yards from the line of scrimmage straight down the field, then cuts toward the middle of the field (towards the facing goalposts) at a 45-degree angle.
Two of the receivers ran post patterns.
9
Obsolete Haste or speed, like that of a messenger or mail carrier.
And then in post he came from Mantua.c. 1591–1595 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Romeo and Ivliet”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene iii], line 273:
10
Obsolete One who has charge of a station, especially a postal station.
there he held the office of postmaster, or, as it was then called, post, for several years.1858, John Gorham Palfrey, chapter IV, in History of New England, volume 1, page 136:
Etymology Borrowed from Middle French poste, from Italian posta (“stopping-place for coaches”), feminine of posto (“placed, situated”).
1
To travel with relays of horses; to travel by post horses, originally as a courier.
Beyond Cologne we descended to the plain of Holland; and we resolved to post the remainder of our way […].1816 June – 1817 April/May (date written), [Mary Shelley], Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), London: […] [Macdonald and Son] for Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mavor, & Jones, published 1 January 1818, →OCLC:
2
To travel quickly; to hurry.
Post speedily to my lord your husband.c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene vi], line 1:
thousand at his bidding speed, And post o'er land and ocean without rest; They also serve who only stand and wait.c. 1652, John Milton, "On His Blindness", line 13
Mail items posted before 7.00pm within the Central Business District and before 5.00pm outside the Central Business District will be delivered the next working day.
4
To rise and sink in the saddle, in accordance with the motion of the horse, especially in trotting.
5
Internet To publish (a message) to a newsgroup, forum, blog, etc.
I couldn't figure it out, so I posted a question on the mailing list.
From the ground, Colombo’s port does not look like much. Those entering it are greeted by wire fences, walls dating back to colonial times and security posts. For mariners leaving the port after lonely nights on the high seas, the delights of the B52 Night Club and Stallion Pub lie a stumble away.2013 June 8, “The new masters and commanders”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8839, page 52:
2
An appointed position in an organization, job.
As hard as this may seem for some people to understand, my adamant stand in favor of President Clinton leaving his post was not personal.2005, Jesse Helms, “Bill Clinton”, in Here's Where I Stand: A Memoir, New York: Random House, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 198:
She was Nicolas Sarkozy's pin-up for diversity, the first Muslim woman with north African parents to hold a major French government post. But Rachida Dati has now turned on her own party elite with such ferocity that some have suggested she should be expelled from the president's ruling party.2011 December 14, Angelique Chrisafis, “Rachida Dati accuses French PM of sexism and elitism”, in Guardian:
To enter (a name) on a list, as for service, promotion, etc.
2
To assign to a station; to set; to place.
Post a sentinel in front of the door.
[I]t might be to obtain a ship for a lieutenant that had passed as master and commander, or to get him "posted"— […]1839 September, Thomas De Quincey, “Early Memorials of Grasmere”, in Autobiographic Sketches: With Recollections of the Lakes (De Quincey’s Works; II), London: James Hogg & Sons, →OCLC, page 116:
Admittedly many of these can be fixed in post, but this may limit your flexibility in other areas.2013, Bruce Mamer, Film Production Technique: Creating the Accomplished Image: