Dictionary

telegram en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈtɛləˌɡɹeə̯m/ æ-raising
• /ˈtɛləˌɡɹɛə̯m/ æ-raising
• (US) audio
• /ˈtɛləˌɡɹæm/ without æ-raising

Etymology

From tele- + -gram.

Meanings

1. A message transmitted by telegraph.
   • Indians awoke on Monday to find their 162-year-old telegram service rendered obsolete, superseded by SMS, e-mail and Twitter. Arguably one of the oldest victims of the digital age, telegrams were the fastest communication method from the 19th century. 2013 July 15, Monica Sarkar, “The day telegrams came to a final STOP”, in CNN, archived from the original on 25 Mar 2016:
   • On 20 May 1937 when down in Bradford-on-Avon on business, Bulleid received a telegram with the cryptic news: 'Sir Herbert Walker wishes to see you twelve thirty tomorrow—Gresley'. 1979 August, Graham Burtenshaw, Michael S. Welch, “O.V.S. Bulleid's SR loco-hauled coaches - 1”, in Railway World, page 394:
   • There is an hour or two, after the passengers have embarked, which is disquieting and fussy.[…]Passengers wander restlessly about or hurry, with futile energy, from place to place. Pushing men hustle each other at the windows of the purser's office, under pretence of expecting letters or despatching telegrams. 1915, G[eorge] A. Birmingham [pseudonym; James Owen Hannay], chapter I, in Gossamer, New York, N.Y.: George H. Doran Company, →OCLC:

Forms

Deriveds

savingram · circular telegram · septel · radiotelegram · fast telegram · Instagram · telegramese · cablegram · phototelegram · letter telegram · kissogram · telepathogram · singing telegram · lettergram · reftel · telegramlike · telegrammic

Synonyms

cable · wire · telegrapheme

Translations (125)

sk telegram (message sent by telegraph) · zdj simu (message sent by telegraph) · bo ཏར་འཕྲིན (message sent by telegraph) · fa-ira تِلِگْرام (message sent by telegraph) · ar تَلِغْرَاف (message sent by telegraph) · sh те̏леграм (message sent by telegraph) · pt telegrama (message sent by telegraph) · izh telegramma (message sent by telegraph) · ar تِلِغْرَاف (message sent by telegraph) · fa-ira تِلِگْراف (message sent by telegraph) · fi sähke (message sent by telegraph) · id telegram (message sent by telegraph) · kk жеделхат (message sent by telegraph) · mk телеграма (message sent by telegraph) · ro telegramă (message sent by telegraph) · kmr birûske (message sent by telegraph) · sh бр̏зоја̄в (message sent by telegraph) · rsk телеґрам (message sent by telegraph) · cdo 電報 /电报 (message sent by telegraph) · ug تېلېگرامما (message sent by telegraph) · ms khabar sawat (message sent by telegraph) · da telegram (message sent by telegraph) · ur ٹیلی گِرام (message sent by telegraph) · nrf télégramme (message sent by telegraph) · az teleqram (message sent by telegraph) · ka დეპეშა (message sent by telegraph) · mi kupu-ā-waea (message sent by telegraph) · uz telegramma (message sent by telegraph) · ko 전보 (message sent by telegraph) · yi טעלעגראַם (message sent by telegraph) · lo ໂທລະເລກ (message sent by telegraph) · ps تلګرام (message sent by telegraph) · hu távirat (message sent by telegraph) · nb telegram (message sent by telegraph) · bo ཏར (message sent by telegraph) · ca telegrama (message sent by telegraph) · hi टेलीग्राम (message sent by telegraph) · sh tȅlegram (message sent by telegraph) · cs telegram (message sent by telegraph) · vi điện văn (message sent by telegraph) · yue 電報 /电报 (message sent by telegraph) · lt telegrama (message sent by telegraph) · km ទូរលេខ (message sent by telegraph) · wuu 電報 /电报 (message sent by telegraph) · ru телегра́мма (message sent by telegraph) · mn цахилгаан (message sent by telegraph) · pl telegram (message sent by telegraph) · ta தந்தி (message sent by telegraph) · mnb fonoharamu (message sent by telegraph) · ro depeșă (message sent by telegraph) · my သံကြိုးစာ (message sent by telegraph) · nl telegram (message sent by telegraph) · ur تار (message sent by telegraph) · id surat kawat (message sent by telegraph) · ms berita kawat (message sent by telegraph) · rsk телеграма (message sent by telegraph) · ti ተለግራም (message sent by telegraph) · bo ཏར་ཡིག (message sent by telegraph) · kk телеграмма (message sent by telegraph) · eo telegramo (message sent by telegraph) · ms surat kawat (message sent by telegraph) · ur بَرْقِیَہ (message sent by telegraph) · el τηλεγράφημα (message sent by telegraph) · cmn 電報 /电报 (message sent by telegraph) · hi टेलिग्राम (message sent by telegraph) · vi điện báo (message sent by telegraph) · pon wailes (message sent by telegraph) · ja 電報 (message sent by telegraph) · mn телеграмм (message sent by telegraph) · ja 針金便り (message sent by telegraph) · kmr telegram (message sent by telegraph) · cjy 電報 /电报 (message sent by telegraph) · yi טעלעגראַמע (message sent by telegraph) · fr télégramme (message sent by telegraph) · hak 電報 /电报 (message sent by telegraph) · ps تلګراف (message sent by telegraph) · my သံကြိုး (message sent by telegraph) · nv béésh bee haneʼ (message sent by telegraph) · id kabar kawat (message sent by telegraph) · af telegram (message sent by telegraph) · it telegramma (message sent by telegraph) · io telegramo (message sent by telegraph) · he מִבְרָק (message sent by telegraph) · fr dépêche (message sent by telegraph) · tg телеграмма (message sent by telegraph) · ms telegram (message sent by telegraph) · et telegramm (message sent by telegraph) · ru депе́ша (message sent by telegraph) · tl pahatid-kawad (message sent by telegraph) · km តេឡេក្រាម (message sent by telegraph) · ky телеграмма (message sent by telegraph) · hi तार (message sent by telegraph) · ar بَرْقِيَّة (message sent by telegraph) · dng дянбо (message sent by telegraph) · sv telegram (message sent by telegraph) · hy հեռագիր (message sent by telegraph) · bn টেলিগ্রাম (message sent by telegraph) · be тэлегра́ма (message sent by telegraph) · sh bȑzojāv (message sent by telegraph) · es telegrama (message sent by telegraph) · ms kawat (message sent by telegraph) · ur ٹیلی گْرام (message sent by telegraph) · ur ٹیلِیگْرام (message sent by telegraph) · sl telegram (message sent by telegraph) · th โทรเลข (message sent by telegraph) · lv telegramma (message sent by telegraph) · sw telegramu (message sent by telegraph) · tk telegramma (message sent by telegraph) · my ကြေးနန်း (message sent by telegraph) · bg телегра́ма (message sent by telegraph) · uk телегра́ма (message sent by telegraph) · sip ཏར (message sent by telegraph) · vi điện tín (message sent by telegraph) · arz تلغراف (message sent by telegraph) · tr telgraf (message sent by telegraph) · ka ტელეგრამა (message sent by telegraph) · de Telegramm (message sent by telegraph) · am ቴሌግራም (message sent by telegraph) · pl depesza (message sent by telegraph) · nan-hbl 電報 /电报 (message sent by telegraph) · km ខ្សែលួស (message sent by telegraph) · is símskeyti (message sent by telegraph) · pdt Tellegraum (message sent by telegraph) · nn telegram (message sent by telegraph) · sq telegram (message sent by telegraph)

telegram en · VERB

Pronunciation

• /ˈtɛləˌɡɹeə̯m/ æ-raising
• /ˈtɛləˌɡɹɛə̯m/ æ-raising
• (US) audio
• /ˈtɛləˌɡɹæm/ without æ-raising

Etymology

From tele- + -gram.

Meanings

1. (intransitive) To send a telegram.
   • In the brouhaha over the reappointment of Superior Court Judge Sylvia Pressler, we organized massive support - telegramming, telephoning and writing to encourage the State Senate to exercise its advise and consent function responsibly. 1984 August 5, “Women Lawyers Unit Describes Its Role”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 24 May 2015:
   • He was a very posh chap from Oxfordshire, whose dad had been Chancellor and whose mum was obliged to keep telegramming round to find him a job because little Winnie had flunked out of his very expensive school. 2021, Otto English, Fake History, page 23:
2. (transitive) To send a telegram to (a person).
   • So when King – who had been in Atlanta for “Bloody Sunday” – telegrammed Parks about returning to Alabama to take part in a third mass march from Selma to Montgomery, her immediate answer was “Why, of course.” 2015 March 5, Douglas Brinkley, “Selma’s historic bridge deserves a better name”, in CNN, archived from the original on 26 Apr 2015:
3. (transitive) To send (a message) in a telegram.

Forms