I. post 1 S2 W2 /pəʊst $ poʊst/ BrE AmE noun
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ post , ↑ postage , ↑ postie , ↑ posting ; verb : ↑ post ; adjective : ↑ postal ]
1 . JOB [countable] formal a job, especially an important one in a large organization SYN position :
I applied for the post and was asked to attend an interview.
She was offered the post of ambassador to India.
He will take up his post as Head of Modern Languages in September.
Goddard has held the post since 1998.
Unfortunately they were unable to find a suitable person to fill the post.
Mr Thomson resigned his £50,000 a year post in April.
She now holds a senior post in the Department of Education.
the creation of 4,000 new teaching posts
2 . POSTAL SYSTEM the post British English the official system for carrying letters, packages etc from one place to another SYN mail
by post
The winners will be notified by post.
in the post
Your letter must have got lost in the post.
I’ll put a copy of the book in the post (=send it) .
through the post
A parcel arrived through the post.
3 . LETTERS [uncountable] British English letters, packages etc that are sent and delivered SYN mail :
Was there any post for me today?
Emma was opening her post.
4 . COLLECTION/DELIVERY [singular, uncountable] British English when letters are collected or delivered SYN mail :
What time does the post go (=get collected) ?
(the) first/second/last post (=the first, second etc collection or delivery of letters each day)
Applications must arrive by first post on September 23.
catch/miss the post (=post your letter in time for it to be collected, or not in time) ⇨ by return (of post) at ↑ return 2 (11)
5 . PIECE OF WOOD/METAL [countable] a strong upright piece of wood, metal etc that is fixed into the ground, especially to support something:
a fence post
⇨ ↑ bedpost , ↑ gatepost (1), ↑ lamp-post , ↑ signpost 1 (1)
6 . FOOTBALL/HOCKEY ETC [countable] one of the two upright pieces of wood between which players try to kick or hit the ball in football, ↑ hockey etc SYN goalpost :
The ball hit the post and bounced off.
7 . NEWSPAPER [singular] used in the names of some newspapers:
the ‘Washington Post’
8 . SOLDIER/GUARD ETC sb’s post the place where a soldier, guard etc is expected to be in order to do their job
at sb’s post
By 5 am the soldiers were already at their posts.
No one was allowed to leave their post.
9 . border/military/customs/police post a place, especially one on a border, where soldiers or police are guarding, checking etc something
10 . RACE the post ( also the finishing post ) the place where a race finishes, especially a horse race:
Mr Magic was first past the post.
11 . INTERNET MESSAGE [countable] ( also posting ) a message sent to an Internet discussion group so that all members of the group can read it:
There was post after post criticizing the Minister.
⇨ as deaf as a post at ↑ deaf (1), ⇨ be driven/passed from pillar to post at ↑ pillar (4), ⇨ pip somebody at the post at ↑ pip 2 (1), ⇨ ↑ first-past-the-post
• • •
COLLOCATIONS (for Meaning 1)
■ verbs
▪ hold a post (=have a job)
He had previously held the post of Foreign Minister.
▪ apply for a post
I am writing to apply for the post of secretary.
▪ take up a post (=start a new job)
She will take up her new post next month.
▪ leave a post
The previous ambassador left his post in June.
▪ resign (from) a post (=leave it)
John Sargent has resigned his post as chairman.
▪ be dismissed from a post (=be told to leave)
As a result of the scandal, he was dismissed from his post.
▪ offer somebody a post
He was offered the post of Secretary of State for Wales.
▪ appoint somebody to a post (=give someone a job officially)
Mr Collingwood has been appointed to the post of Headteacher.
▪ fill a post (=find someone to do a job)
They have advertised the post but it hasn't yet been filled.
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + post
▪ a senior post
Senior posts in industry attract very high salaries.
▪ a junior post
He was offered a junior post in a bank.
▪ a permanent/temporary post
I have a two-year contract, not a permanent post.
▪ a full-time/part-time post
a part-time post as a university lecturer
▪ a teaching post
My first teaching post was in outer London.
▪ an administrative post
For the next twelve years, he held various administrative posts in Bombay.
▪ a government post
I decided to apply for a local government post.
• • •
COLLOCATIONS (for Meaning 2)
■ verbs
▪ send something by post
They sent me the contract by post.
▪ put something in the post (=put it in a box to be collected)
I put it in the post on Friday, so it should have arrived today.
▪ get something in the post (=receive it)
Did you get anything in the post today?
▪ something comes/arrives in the post
This letter came in the post this morning.
▪ something gets lost in the post
I'm afraid the cheque must have got lost in the post.
■ adjectives
▪ first-class post
The package arrived by first-class post.
▪ second-class post
Items sent by second-class post can take up to five days to arrive.
• • •
COLLOCATIONS (for Meaning 4)
■ adjectives
▪ first/second/last post (=the first, second, or last collection or delivery of letters each day)
The last post is at 5.30.
■ verbs
▪ catch the post (=post your letter in time for it to be collected)
He wrote the letter hurriedly because he was anxious to catch the post.
▪ miss the post (=not post your letter in time for it to be collected)
If I miss the post today, the card won’t arrive on her birthday.
▪ the post goes (=it is collected)
The first post goes at 7.30 am.
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ job noun [countable] the regular paid work that you do for an employer:
a full-time job
|
John got a job in a car factory.
▪ work noun [uncountable] activities that you are paid for doing – used either when you work for an employer or when you work in your own business:
I started work when I was 18.
|
He graduated from college last year and is still looking for work.
▪ profession noun [countable] a job for which you need special education and training:
There are now a lot more women in the legal profession.
|
Many teachers are leaving the profession.
▪ occupation noun [countable] formal a job, or a type of job – often used on official documents:
Please give your name, age, and occupation.
|
a traditionally male occupation
▪ career noun [countable] the work you do or plan to do for most of your life:
I’m interested in a career in journalism.
▪ position noun [countable] formal a particular job within an organization:
I am writing to apply for the position of technical assistant.
|
We regret that the position has already been filled.
|
Please state the position which you are applying for.
▪ post noun [countable] formal a job, especially an important one in a large organization:
She has held the post of managing director for two years.
|
He applied for the post of Senior Manager.
▪ vacancy/opening noun [countable] a job that is available for someone to do:
The hospital has been unable to fill the vacancy.
|
There are very few openings in scientific research.
▪ appointment noun [countable] an important job which someone is asked to do:
He took an appointment as US trade ambassador in Geneva.
▪ posting noun [countable] a situation in which someone is sent somewhere to do a job for a period of time by the organization they work for:
This was his first posting outside the UK.
|
an overseas posting
|
His next posting took him to the Ministry of Defence.
▪ trade noun [countable] a job that involves using your hands, and for which you need special training:
Most of the men had worked in skilled trades such as carpentry and printing.
▪ employment noun [uncountable] the fact of having a job:
The factory will provide employment for local people.
|
She was offered employment in the sales office.
II. post 2 S3 BrE AmE verb [transitive]
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ post , ↑ postage , ↑ postie , ↑ posting ; verb : ↑ post ; adjective : ↑ postal ]
1 . LETTER British English to send a letter, package etc by post SYN mail :
She’s just gone to post a letter.
post something (off) to somebody
Did you remember to post the card to my parents?
post somebody something
I posted Barry the cheque last Friday.
2 . post something through sb’s door/letterbox British English to push something through someone’s ↑ letterbox :
I’ll post the key through your letterbox when I leave.
3 . JOB [usually passive] if you are posted somewhere, your employer sends you to work there, usually for several years
post somebody to France/London etc
He joined the British Army and was posted to Germany.
post somebody abroad/overseas
4 . PUBLIC NOTICE ( also post up ) to put up a public notice about something on a wall or notice board:
The exam results were posted on the bulletin board yesterday.
5 . GUARD to make someone be in a particular place in order to guard a building, check who enters or leaves a place, watch something etc SYN station :
Guards were to be posted around nuclear power stations.
6 . keep somebody posted spoken to regularly tell someone the most recent news about something
keep somebody posted on
I’ll keep you posted on his progress.
7 . PROFIT/LOSS ETC especially American English to officially record and announce information about a company’s financial situation or a country’s economic situation:
Cisco Systems posted record profits and sales for the third fiscal quarter.
8 . INTERNET MESSAGE to put a message or computer document on the Internet so that other people can see it:
Could you post those new flyers on David’s website?
9 . be posted missing British English if a soldier is posted missing, it is announced officially that they have disappeared
10 . post bail law especially American English to pay a specific amount of money in order to be allowed to leave prison before your ↑ trial