postal

adjective

post·​al ˈpō-stᵊl 

1

: of or relating to the mails or the post office

2

: conducted by mail

postal chess

3

: insanely or murderously violent

—usually used in the phrase go postal

Examples of postal in a Sentence

Postal rates are going up.

The city worked to quickly restore postal service.

Recent Examples on the Web

How the scheme worked Investigators say former postal workers Shanda Goode and Carnisha Hamilton used their positions as mail carriers in Atlanta and Marietta to steal dozens of pieces of mail containing financial instruments and personal information. —Zachary Bynum, CBS News, 30 Apr. 2026

The postal driver died at the scene, police said. —David Chiu, PEOPLE, 30 Apr. 2026

An unwell postal worker picked off lover’s-lane couples with a revolver. —Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 25 Apr. 2026

Today’s great photo is from Times photographer Ronaldo Bolaños in the Mount Washington neighborhood where USPS postal carrier John Ayala carried out his final shift. —Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1842, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing postal

• go postal
• postal address
• postal card
• postal order
• postal service
• postal union

Rhymes for postal

• coastal
• intercoastal
• intracoastal

Kids Definition

postal

adjective

post·​al ˈpōs-tᵊl 

: of or relating to mail or to the post office