letter
(letəʳ )
Word forms: letters , lettering , lettered
1. countable noun [oft by NOUN] A1
If you write a letter to someone, you write a message on paper and send it to them, usually by post.
I had received a letter from a very close friend. [+ from]
...a letter of resignation. [+ of]
Our long courtship had been conducted mostly by letter.
Synonyms: message, line, answer, note
2. countable noun A1
Letters are written symbols which represent one of the sounds in a language.
...the letters of the alphabet. [+ of]
...the letter E.
Synonyms: character, mark, sign, symbol
3. countable noun
If a student earns a letter in sports or athletics by being part of the university or college team, they are entitled to wear on their jacket the initial letter of the name of their university or college. [US]
Valerie earned letters in three sports: volleyball, basketball, and field hockey. [+ in]
4. verb
If a student letters in sports or athletics by being part of the university or college team, they are entitled to wear on their jacket the initial letter of the name of their university or college. [US]
Burkoth lettered in soccer. [VERB preposition]
5. See also capital letter, covering letter, dead letter, love letter, newsletter, poison-pen letter
6. the letter of the law phrase [preposition PHRASE, PHRASE after verb]
If you say that someone keeps to the letter of the law , you mean that they act according to what is actually written in the law, rather than according to the general principles of it, especially when you disapprove of this.
They had stuck to the letter of the law and in my view they should be ashamed.
7. to the letter phrase
If you say that someone carries out instructions to the letter, you mean that they do exactly what they are told to do, paying great attention to every detail.
She obeyed his instructions to the letter.
Synonyms: precisely, strictly, literally, exactly
Image of letter
© 01/05/2018, Shutterstock
Quotations:
Sir, more than kisses, letters mingle soulsTo Sir Henry Wotton
All letters, methinks, should be free and easy as one's discourse, not studied as an oration, not made up of hard words like a charmLetter to William Temple
I have made this [letter] longer than usual, only because I have not had the time to make it shorterLettres Provinciales
Idioms:
the letter of the law
what is actually written in the law, rather than the moral principles on which it is based. You usually use this expression to show disapproval.
The Home Office stuck to the letter of the law over the definition of dependants.
Easy Learning Idioms Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
follow something to the letter
to carry out instructions, rules, or advice exactly in every detail
Even if that international agreement is followed to the letter, the ozone layer won't recover fully until the year 2060.
Easy Learning Idioms Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
a dead letter
a law or agreement that people do not pay any attention to, although it still exists
In this conflict, international humanitarian law is a dead letter. Unacceptable practices are going on.
Easy Learning Idioms Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
a red letter day
a day when something very important or exciting happens
Back in 1986 Jim had his first picture published in BBC Wildlife Magazine. `That was a real red letter day for me!' he confesses.
Easy Learning Idioms Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Collocations:
anonymous letter answer a letter deliver a letter exchange letters handwritten letter issue a letter letter of recommendation letter of reprimand letter states letter writing letters spell mail a letter open a letter personal letter post a letter print a letter protest letter publish a letter read a letter reader letter receive a letter reference letter rejection letter resignation letter send a letter sequence of letters sign a letter submit a letter thank-you letter threatening letter type a letter warning letter welcome letter write a letter
She began receiving anonymous letters.
The Sun (2014)
The killer struck after villagers received anonymous letters warning them to keep their dogs quiet.
The Sun (2011)
An anonymous letter suggests that he may have fathered a child.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
We're sorry, but Sally cannot answer letters personally.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
I answer many letters from upset owners with all sorts of problems.
Superdog! Action plans that work for a happy and well-behaved pet (1990)
When I saw you were answering letters I was so happy because I'm one of your biggest fans.
The Sun (2008)
Royal Mail delivers about 15 billion letters each year.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
You will be charged a nominal fee for administration costs in delivering this letter.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Who needs their letters delivered six days a week?
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
They exchanged letters until 1980, the year he died.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
She and her mother would exchange letters as often as three times a week.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
They exchanged letters, but these were censored by the government.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
The health secretary writes handwritten letters each day to patients.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Jodi then replies with a handwritten letter of support.
The Sun (2014)
The handwritten letter has long been a fading art but help is at hand.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
The club had issued detailed letters of warning to their fans to be on their guard.
The Sun (2007)
The letter was issued to all pupils at the school.
The Sun (2014)
A letter issued by the Commonwealth last week confirms the perilous financial situation of the group.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The letter of recommendation could have got lost in the muddle and fog of war.
The Sun
Applicants require a letter of recommendation from their head teacher.
Times, Sunday Times
There he was the recipient of two purple hearts, a bronze star, and a letter of recommendation from the president.
Retrieved from Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0
Esquire sees an opportunity to obtain the letter of recommendation that would bring about his acceptance to his primary college choice.
Retrieved from Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0
In most cases, students applying to a gymnasium nominally need a letter of recommendation written by the primary school teacher.
Retrieved from Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0
Administrative action can mean a letter of reprimand, but in some cases it can lead to an ending of promotion prospects and even discharge.
Times, Sunday Times
Each received a letter of reprimand and had his pay reduced for two months.
Times, Sunday Times
The two staff members were suspended for three days and a third employee received a letter of reprimand.
Globe and Mail
Four others were court martialed, two were cleared of all charges, one received a letter of reprimand, and one was reduced on the promotion list.
Retrieved from Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0
The university redrafted the letter of reprimand to reflect the arbitrators order removing all reference to course content, teaching method, and grading method.
Retrieved from Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0
The letter states that the extra tax will reduce investment in the housing market and cut housing supply.
Times, Sunday Times
The timing of the lawsuit 'has created serious questions about the commission's independence and impartiality', the letter states.
Times, Sunday Times
The letter states that, as the object in my sandwich was not recovered, it has not been possible to investigate the matter.
Times, Sunday Times
Ford's letter states that she saw no evidence of this.
Times, Sunday Times
To add insult to injury, the letter states to cancel would cost 43.68.
Times, Sunday Times
Would good old-fashioned letter writing break through the communication barrier?
Times, Sunday Times
No firm conclusions were drawn after more than a month of letter writing.
Times, Sunday Times
As their relationship developed, their tweets turned to emails and then to old-fashioned letter writing.
Times, Sunday Times
They often have a grown-up outlook and are quick to acquire basic life and business skills, such as timekeeping and letter writing.
Times, Sunday Times
Phase 2 would begin a year later, if the letter writing and legal campaign failed to reduce piracy by 70 per cent.
Times, Sunday Times
In clue order, the extra and omitted letters spell out a set of people's names, some appropriately interrupted.
Times, Sunday Times
Poets have published acrostic verses whose first letters spell out insulting messages about the generals.
Times, Sunday Times
The collected letters spell out a word that the teams must unscramble.
Retrieved from Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0
Tablets are simple, with a common design, and black tile with white letters spell out the station name on the wall.
Retrieved from Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0
She asks him to mail the letter and drinks the milk.
Times,Sunday Times
In such circumstances only a grouch would resent having to find another way to mail a letter.
The Times Literary Supplement
In one episode, he went to mail a letter and never returned, and was never mentioned in dialogue again.
Retrieved from Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0
The army maintained fort was the first chance on the trail to buy emergency supplies, do repairs, get medical aid, or mail a letter.
Retrieved from Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0
They mailed a letter to members outlining their concerns.
Christianity Today
He wanted to open the letter and read it for himself.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
It also turned out that, when her letter was opened , she had forgotten to enclose the cheque.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
The security service opened his letters and bugged his calls and meetings.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
What other CEO is expected to write personal condolence letters as well as run the company?
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
She sent a personal letter to my dad saying I had not made it.
The Sun (2017)
His fundraising efforts have included sending out intensely personal letters addressing his difficult situation..
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Always post your letter by recorded delivery and keep a copy for your records.
Times, Sunday Times
Which, if you employ some rounding-up maths, means it will soon cost a quid to post a letter.
Times, Sunday Times
Other former party leaders can't even post a letter.
Times, Sunday Times
But now there are cars and bikes everywhere and it takes forever to cross the road and to post a letter.
The Sun
This means that when a well-meaning carer points out to the person that they have forgotten something -say, to post a letter -they feel embarrassed and agitated.
Times, Sunday Times
We print the letter in full, with its photos, on the right.
The Sun
I would like you to print this letter to warn others.
The Sun
Mischievously, the magazine printed his letter without trying terribly hard to hide his address.
Times, Sunday Times
So wrote to my local newspaper, which printed my letter.
Times, Sunday Times
Thank you so much for printing my letter.
Times, Sunday Times
She is one of about 40 pupils who signed a school-leavers' protest letter this year.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
But ten protest letters have been sent to the local planning committee.
The Sun (2016)
It was this proposal that drew the protest letter from shareholders.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
The newspaper published a letter opposing the proposal.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
The letter was published on an independent news website.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
They voiced their concerns in a letter published in The Times yesterday.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
She returned home late in the evening three days later and read the letter the next day.
Times, Sunday Times
Watching it feels like trying to read a letter that has only just got through the censors.
Times, Sunday Times
You can only read his letter and wonder what you, yourself, would have had the courage to write.
Times, Sunday Times
I suspect that many will have read your letter and thought, 'just make her go to school'.
Times, Sunday Times
The question then was: would he read the letter — and the book?
Times, Sunday Times
I got on the blower after being deluged with reader letters.
The Sun
It generated 26,000 subscription orders and over 20,000 reader letters within weeks.
Retrieved from Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0
Television was shut down in 1996, and print media were forbidden to publish commentary, photos or readers letters.
Retrieved from Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0
It also prints opinion pieces, reader letters, and classified advertisements, and contains a property and real estate pull-out section.
Retrieved from Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0
Yesterday he received a letter signed by 11 MPs calling on him to quit.
The Sun (2006)
She had received anonymous letters, calls and text messages warning her to back out.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Our company receives 1,000 letters a week.
Going For It!: How to Succeed As an Entrepreneur (1986)
The law generally provides employers with important protections when responding to a reference letter request.
Christianity Today
Many courts and legislatures have recognized a number of legal defenses that are available to employers when responding to a request for a reference letter.
Christianity Today
Youth pastors should be careful to treat as confidential any reference letter they receive on a current or former employee or volunteer worker.
Christianity Today
However, liability may still arise in some cases, such as if the employer acts with malice in drafting a reference letter.
Christianity Today
Unfortunately, a reference letter can expose a denominational agency to legal liability if not handled properly.
Christianity Today
The rejection letter said help might come later, but made it clear that it would come at a price: the loss of universities' much-cherished autonomy.
Times,Sunday Times
They sent me a beautifully crafted rejection letter.
Times, Sunday Times
The usual few months elapsed before he received the standard rejection letter.
Times, Sunday Times
You must pursue your claim with the ombudsman within six months of receiving the final rejection letter.
Times, Sunday Times
Undeterred, he stuck the rejection letter to his wall and scraped together the money from friends and family.
Times, Sunday Times
The following week I walked into my boss's office and slipped my letter of resignation into his in-tray.
FRIENDS FOR LIFE (2003)
Instead, she handed in a letter of resignation .
The Sun (2006)
At first they thought their resignation letter was being ignored.
Paul VI - The First Modern Pope (1993)
The bank says that I have to send it a letter to close the account.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
He asked if he could send her a letter.
The Glasgow Girls (1994)
Hospitals took some blame as many sent appointment letters to the wrong addresses.
The Sun (2008)
This forces them to think hard about the sequence of letters.
Times, Sunday Times
Stranger still was a remarkable sequence of letters, written near the end of his life, that calls into question his notorious aversion to marriage.
Times, Sunday Times
They invited more than 500 people to solve a set of maths problems while updating and remembering a sequence of letters.
Times, Sunday Times
To encipher a message, the operator sets the key wheels to a random sequence of letters.
Retrieved from Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0
A titlo over a sequence of letters indicated their use as a number.
Retrieved from Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0
At least 35 angry party chairmen signed a letter warning he is out of touch and will cost them the next election.
The Sun (2013)
Nearly 100 clergy had signed the letter by last night.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
A group of consultants at the hospital signed a letter attacking her management of the hospital.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
He was fired in 1993, after refusing to submit a letter of resignation.
Retrieved from Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0
The parties have to submit a letter to the court every 90 days.
Retrieved from Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0
Candidates were required to submit a letter of intent, sworn declarations of citizenship and domicile, a tax clearance, financial disclosure forms and a valid form of identification.
Retrieved from Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0
To take this exam, students must submit a letter of acceptance from an accredited naturopathic medical school verifying they have completed the first two years of naturopathic medical education.
Retrieved from Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0
When directly asked if he had submitted a letter of resignation, he said he had not but had given an oral resignation.
Retrieved from Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0
One of them even felt moved to write a thank-you letter.
Times,Sunday Times
And, worst of all: writing a thank-you letter.
Times, Sunday Times
That's why a thank-you letter needs to be long and handwritten.
Times, Sunday Times
She added that the thank-you letter had been made virtually obsolete by social media.
Times, Sunday Times
I never received a thank-you letter from the commissioner or the relevant police station.
Times, Sunday Times
No such luck: more invoices arrived claiming there was 15 outstanding, followed by a threatening letter.
Times, Sunday Times
As the protests continued last week she arranged counselling for staff, and police are examining an offensive, threatening letter she received.
Times, Sunday Times
Last year chiropractors sent him a threatening letter in relation to an article he had published.
Times, Sunday Times
Contact the company you received the threatening letter from and show them this.
The Sun
Foolishly, he decides to post a threatening letter in each of the apartments, a lofty act of antagonism that will rebound badly on him by the film's end.
Times, Sunday Times
When you type a letter, you send it to 'print' in the normal way.
Times, Sunday Times
While one hand types a letter, the other hand can prepare to type the next letter making the process faster and more efficient.
Retrieved from Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0
We typed a letter to tell the bank that she was changing her address and to stop direct debits.
Times, Sunday Times
The cortex here serves our ability to plan the day, organize work, type a letter, pay attention to details and control the movements of your arms and legs.
Retrieved from Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0
She had typed this letter about ten years previously and put it with her will for us to find.
Times, Sunday Times
I had not received the two warning letters that had supposedly been sent inviting me to take action to avoid the charge.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Earlier, lawyers for the three men confirmed that they had had warning letters.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
He had already received a mysterious warning letter.
The English Civil War: A People's History (2006)
Plenty on social media wrote the obit before he'd even opened the official welcome letter.
The Sun
A customary welcome letter accompanied the plonk.
The Sun
He gave a welcome letter to the media.
Times, Sunday Times
Some companies now send welcome letters to parents as well as graduates.
Times, Sunday Times
The magazine welcomes letters, comments and feedback from its readers.
Retrieved from Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0
Thirteen months after the battle, one of his fellow Marines wrote a letter to the deceased man's brother.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Afterwards, Justin wrote me a letter apologising.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Write me a letter or email me for a guaranteed detailed personal reply.
The Sun (2009)
Translations:
Chinese: 字母, 信函
Japanese: 文字 a, b, c, 手紙 message
- wildly imaginative
- wildly improbable
- wildly inaccurate
- wildly inappropriate
- wildly inconsistent
- wildly inventive
- wildly optimistic
- wildly popular
- wildly speculative
- wildly successful
- wildly uneven
- wildly unpopular
- wildly unpredictable
- wildly unrealistic
- wild mint
- wild mushroom
- wild mustang
- wildness
- wild orchid
- wild panda
- wild plant
- wild pollinator
- wild pony
- wild population
- wild rhino