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express2

Syllabification: (ex·press)
Pronunciation: /ikˈspres/

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Definition of express

adjective

  • operating at high speed, in particular.
  • (of a train or other vehicle of public transportation) making few intermediate stops and reaching its destination quickly:an express train bound for Innsbruck express bus service an express elevator
  • denoting a service in which letters or packages are delivered by a special service to ensure speed or security:an express letter an express airmail service

adverb

  • by express train or delivery service:I got my wife to send my gloves express to the hotel

noun

  • 1an express train or other vehicle of public transportation:we embarked for the south of France on an overnight express
  • 2an overnight or rapid delivery service:the books arrived by express
  • 3an express rifle.

verb

[with object]
  • send by express delivery or messenger:I expressed my clothes to my destination

Origin:

early 18th century (in the sense of the verb): extension of express3; express2 (sense 1 of the noun) from express train, so named because it served a particular destination without intermediate stops, reflecting an earlier sense of express 'done or made for a special purpose', later interpreted in the sense 'rapid'. Senses relating to express delivery date from the institution of this postal service in Britain in 1891

express in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of express in the British & World English dictionary

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