postmaster general

noun

, plural postmasters general.

1. the executive head of the postal system of a country.

postmaster general

noun

1. the executive head of the postal service in certain countries

postmaster general

1. The head of the United States Postal Service. Until 1970, the postmaster general was head of the federal Post Office Department and a member of the president's cabinet . In 1970, the Postal Service was set up as an independent agency in place of the Post Office Department. The Postal Service is operated like a private corporation , although postal workers receive the benefits of federal employees.

Word History and Origins

Origin of postmaster general¹

First recorded in 1620–30

Example Sentences

The Constitution gives Congress the sole authority to establish a postal system, but in 1970 Congress removed the postmaster general from the Cabinet and subjected the post office to a quasi-privatization.

From Los Angeles Times

Louis DeJoy, postmaster general, said the Postal Service goal is to make peak holiday season delivery “superior and routine.”

From Seattle Times

Louis DeJoy, the postmaster general of the United States, said the main post office facility in Atlanta would be named after Lewis in an August ceremony.

From Washington Times

“We must, indeed, all hang together or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately,” Benjamin Franklin, not incidentally the country’s first postmaster general, said under very different circumstances.

From Seattle Times

It’s a nationwide crisis, exacerbated by the Seattle area’s high cost of living — for an agency that’s attracted more scrutiny since major Republican Party donor Louis DeJoy was appointed postmaster general in 2020.

From Seattle Times