What does the word convey means

To convey sympathy to a bereaved parent by telephone struck him as maladroit …


—P. D. James, The Private Patient, 2008

… he conveys so much kindliness and benign authority that he is probably forgiven each time he directs a tuna-fish shopper into the thick of the English muffins.


—Susan Orlean, New Yorker, 22 June 1992

Robyn was well aware that clothes do not merely serve the practical purpose of covering our bodies, but also convey messages about who we are, what we are doing, and how we feel.


—David Lodge, Nice Work, 1990

… please convey to Mr. & Mrs. Langdon my love &respectful duty.


—Mark Twain 28 Nov. 1868,

in Mark Twain’s Letters,  1990

The singer was conveyed from her hotel to the airport by limousine.

They conveyed the goods by ship.

The pipes convey water to the fields.

The message conveyed a sense of urgency.

He conveyed the estate to his son.

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Recent Examples on the Web

The authors bring a simple thesis to the table, much of it conveyed by the title: The flip side of autistic behaviors that may trouble parents is often the kind of hyper-specific ingenuity that traditional testing and education tends to miss.


—Zack Budryk, Washington Post, 4 Apr. 2023




The composition, including very short chapters, authentically conveys Smith’s poetic voice.


—Bethanne Patrick, Los Angeles Times, 31 Mar. 2023




Grinder wheel icons convey important safety information.


—Roy Berendsohn, Popular Mechanics, 30 Mar. 2023




As journalist Albert Samaha conveys, Sharifu’s story is a window into one of America’s most diverse and unequal cities: The tragedy underscored inequities that continue to grip the city.


—Seyward Darby, Longreads, 30 Mar. 2023




Calm precision and clear intentions reverberate with mysteries; simple but jolting special effects convey the ambient hauntings of the physical world.


—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2023




This beautiful blue tone conveys a sense of calmness, and rabbit motifs are sprinkled throughout for a festive feel.


—Emerson Latham, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Mar. 2023




The visiting Highland Park resident, Ashbey Beasley, conveyed her own message after walking up to a bank of microphones outside Covenant School.


—Peter Weber, The Week, 27 Mar. 2023




Even so, the Dust RGB imagery conveys more information about what’s going on in the atmosphere.


—Tom Yulsman, Discover Magazine, 27 Mar. 2023


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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word ‘convey.’ Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French conveer to accompany, escort, from Vulgar Latin *conviare, from Latin com- + via way — more at way

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler

The first known use of convey was
in the 14th century

Other forms: conveyed; conveying; conveys

When you convey something, you carry or deliver it. Little Red Riding Hood conveyed a basket of muffins to her grandmother. Your sad smile might convey more about your feelings than words ever could.

You can also convey a message or information, which means that you communicate it to someone directly or indirectly through your words or actions. In law, the word convey means to transfer or pass property to someone. This verb is from Middle English conveyen, from Old French conveier, ultimately from the Latin prefix com-, «together,» plus via, «way.»

Definitions of convey

1. verb

   transmit or serve as the medium for transmission

   synonyms:

   carry, channel, conduct, impart, transmit

   carry, express

   serve as a means for expressing something

   carry

   be conveyed over a certain distance

2. synonyms:

   communicate, transmit

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   types:

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   communicate, pass, pass along, pass on, put across

   transmit information

   implant, plant

   put firmly in the mind

   send a message

   give or constitute a signal, not necessarily verbally

   relay

   pass along

   get across, put over

   communicate successfully

   bespeak, call for, quest, request

   express the need or desire for; ask for

   acknowledge, receipt

   report the receipt of

   carry

   pass on a communication

   deliver, render, return

   pass down

   message

   send as a message

   message

   send a message to

   type of:

   transfer

   move from one place to another

3. verb

   take something or somebody with oneself somewhere

   synonyms:

   bring, take

   bring, fetch, get

   go or come after and bring or take back

   bring

   be accompanied by

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   fetch

   take away or remove

   transit

   cause or enable to pass through

   ferry

   transport from one place to another

   bring back, return, take back

   bring back to the point of departure

   tube

   convey in a tube

   whisk

   move somewhere quickly

   carry, channel, conduct, impart, transmit

   transmit or serve as the medium for transmission

   land

   bring ashore

   ground, run aground, strand

   bring to the ground

   wash up

   carry somewhere (of water or current or waves)

   pipe in

   bring in through pipes

   bring in

   transmit

   retransmit

   transmit again

   strand

   drive (a vessel) ashore

   type of:

   carry, transport

   move while supporting, either in a vehicle or in one’s hands or on one’s body

4. verb

   serve as a means for expressing something

   synonyms:

   carry, express

   carry, channel, conduct, impart, transmit

   transmit or serve as the medium for transmission

5. verb

   go or come after and bring or take back

   synonyms:

   bring, fetch, get

   bring, take

   take something or somebody with oneself somewhere

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   Antonyms:

   bear away, bear off, carry away, carry off, take away

   remove from a certain place, environment, or mental or emotional state; transport into a new location or state

   types:

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   retrieve

   run after, pick up, and bring to the master

   retrieve

   go for and bring back

   deliver

   bring to a destination, make a delivery

   misdeliver

   deliver to the wrong address

   process, serve, swear out

   deliver a warrant or summons to someone

   discharge, drop, drop off, put down, set down, unload

   leave or unload

   consign

   send to an address

   type of:

   channel, channelise, channelize, transfer, transmit, transport

   send from one person or place to another

6. verb

   make known; pass on, of information

   “She
   conveyed the message to me”

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   give thanks, thank

   express gratitude or show appreciation to

   hint, suggest

   drop a hint; intimate by a hint

   say

   communicate or express nonverbally

   look

   convey by one’s expression

   flash

   make known or cause to appear with great speed

   breathe

   manifest or evince

   evince, express, show

   give expression to

   intend, mean

   mean or intend to express or convey

   sneer

   express through a scornful smile

   emblematize, represent, stand for, symbolise, symbolize, typify

   express indirectly by an image, form, or model; be a symbol

   acknowledge, recognise, recognize

   express obligation, thanks, or gratitude for

   adumbrate, insinuate, intimate

   give to understand

   clue in

   provide someone with a clue

   connote, imply

   express or state indirectly

   burst out

   give sudden release to an expression

   evoke, paint a picture, suggest

   call to mind

   imply

   suggest as a logically necessary consequence; in logic

   signify

   convey or express a meaning

   import, spell

   indicate or signify

   give

   manifest or show

   exude

   make apparent by one’s mood or behavior

   give vent, vent, ventilate

   give expression or utterance to

   aim

   direct (a remark) toward an intended goal

   articulate, formulate, give voice, phrase, word

   put into words or an expression

   accent, accentuate, emphasise, emphasize, punctuate, stress

   stress; single out as important

   advert, allude, touch

   make a more or less disguised reference to

   aim, drive, get

   move into a desired direction of discourse

   menace

   express a threat either by an utterance or a gesture

   beam

   express with a beaming face or smile

   smile

   express with a smile

   type of:

   give, impart, leave, pass on

   transmit (knowledge or skills)

7. verb

   transmit a title or property