special delivery

noun

1. (in the U.S. Postal Service) delivery of mail outside the regularly scheduled hours, by a special messenger, upon the payment of an extra fee.

special delivery

noun

1. the delivery of a piece of mail outside the time of a scheduled delivery

Other Words From

• special-de·liver·y adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of special delivery¹

An Americanism dating back to 1880–85

Example Sentences

Planet Earth is about to receive a special delivery — the biggest sample yet from an asteroid.

From Seattle Times

But the River Thames is perhaps the choice for the most special deliveries - including an optical atomic clock.

From BBC

My father handed his friend some money in an envelope and off he went to drop off some other special deliveries to his customers.

From Salon

In the next few days, Mr. Wiggins will receive a special delivery from New York City: the last of the goldfish from underneath the tuberculosis hospital.

From New York Times

They have said they will aim to deliver as many parcels and special delivery letters as possible, while priority will be given to prescriptions and Covid-19 test kits.

From BBC