envelope
noun
en·ve·lope
ˈen-və-ˌlōp 
ˈän-
ˈän-
1
: a flat usually paper container (as for a letter)
3
a
: the outer covering of an aerostat
b
: the bag containing the gas in a balloon or airship
4
a
: a natural enclosing covering (such as a membrane, shell, or integument)
b
: a lipoprotein unit membrane that forms the outer layer of some virions
5
a
: a curve tangent to each of a family of curves
b
: a surface tangent to each of a family of surfaces
6
: a set of performance limits (as of an aircraft) that may not be safely exceeded
also
: the set of operating parameters that exists within these limits
7
: a conventionally accepted limit
new computers that push the envelope
How do you pronounce envelope?: Usage Guide
The \ˈen-\ and \ˈän-\ pronunciations are used with about equal frequency, and both are fully acceptable, though the \ˈän-\ version is sometimes decried as "pseudo-French." Actually \ˈän-\ is exactly what one would expect to hear when a French word like entrepreneur is becoming anglicized. Envelope, however, has been in English for nearly 300 years, plenty of time for it to become completely anglicized and for both of its pronunciations to win respectability.
Examples of envelope in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
To obtain the name of the winner of the Sweepstakes, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope by March 31, 2025 to: SHE Media LLC, 475 5th Ave New York, NY.
—
Emily Cegielski, Flow Space, 6 Mar. 2025
Once doors were closed, the diner’s remaining 25 workers gathered inside, received manila envelopes containing their final checks and, with support from their labor union, refused to leave.
—Paige St. John, Los Angeles Times, 3 Mar. 2025
But Davis — who had already won the Golden Globe, the Critics Choice Award and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Fences — was called when actor Mark Rylance opened the envelope to reveal Best Supporting Actress.
—Eric Andersson, People.com, 28 Feb. 2025
The suspect is accused of entering the resident’s home and stealing an envelope containing $7,000 in cash and a $2,400 check, Jones said.
—Cameron MacDonald, The Mercury News, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for envelope
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Emily Cegielski, Flow Space, 6 Mar. 2025
Once doors were closed, the diner’s remaining 25 workers gathered inside, received manila envelopes containing their final checks and, with support from their labor union, refused to leave.
—Paige St. John, Los Angeles Times, 3 Mar. 2025
But Davis — who had already won the Golden Globe, the Critics Choice Award and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Fences — was called when actor Mark Rylance opened the envelope to reveal Best Supporting Actress.
—Eric Andersson, People.com, 28 Feb. 2025
The suspect is accused of entering the resident’s home and stealing an envelope containing $7,000 in cash and a $2,400 check, Jones said.
—Cameron MacDonald, The Mercury News, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for envelope
Cite this Entry
“Envelope.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/envelope. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
envelope
noun
en·ve·lope
ˈen-və-ˌlōp
ˈän-
ˈän-
1
: a flat usually paper container (as for a letter)
2
: something that envelops
3
: the bag containing the gas in a balloon or airship
4
: a natural enclosing covering (as a membrane)
Medical Definition
envelope
noun
en·ve·lope
ˈen-və-ˌlōp
ˈän-
ˈän-
: a natural enclosing covering (as a membrane or integument)
especially
: a lipoprotein unit membrane that forms the outer layer of some virions and surrounds the viral capsid
These glycoprotein complexes, swept up by the budding virus as it acquires its envelope, are crucial to HIV's ability to infect new cells. —William A. Haseltine et al., Scientific American
William A. Haseltine et al., Scientific American Love words? Need even more definitions?
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