Synonyms for
Telegram
Definition
A message sent electronically by telegraph and then delivered in written or printed form.
Synonyms & similar words
Synonyms by register
Antonyms
Common collocations
- send a telegram
- receive a telegram
- urgent telegram
- telegram service
- telegram office
- telegram wire
- telegram message
Word family
Usage note
The word 'telegram' is largely archaic, referring to a message sent over a telegraph system. While the technology is obsolete, the word is sometimes used metaphorically for a brief, urgent message.
Example sentences
- I sent a telegram to my grandparents to wish them a happy anniversary.
- The telegram arrived too late to stop the train.
- He received a telegram informing him of his father's death.
- The telegram was written in code and took a while to decipher.
- She was surprised to receive a telegram instead of a phone call.
Quotes
A telegram is not a letter, and a visit is not a telegram.
I was born in 1927, so you can imagine that I remember the silent films very well. In fact, I was in the theatre as a boy, so I remember going to the cinema very well, especially when it cost only a penny. Then, after the silent films, the talkies came in, and I remember when my father came home and said, 'I've just seen a talkie.' It was like someone saying, 'I've just seen a UFO.' It was so strange, like a telegram from the future.
I love the telegram form. It's so limited and so confining. You can't go on and on.