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postage stamp

postage stamp

12 1.0
A small printed sticker you put on a letter to show you paid to send it
  • noun
  • /ˈpoʊstɪdʒ stæmp/
translation icon : sello
  • From a historical perspective, today's ubiquitous postage stamp is a novelty.
  • issue postage stamps
  • postage stamps commemorating
  • set of postage stamps

It's not just the postage stamps that have her profile and the coins and banknotes and post boxes.

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Examples

  • Of the twelve Peruvian postage stamps, only one denomination would be used for regular mail.

    Academic text (1992)
  • Since the 1930s, both nations have found occasion to issue postage stamps with maps that could be considered provocative.

    Academic text (1992)
  • And your face will be on a postage stamp.

  • You would look lovely on a postage stamp!

  • A couple of postage stamps so you can write home.

  • Previous studies of postage stamps noted their importance in promoting national identity and the objectives of the state.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Case in point, Ukraine just unveiled a new postage stamp based off the Russian warship Go Yourself incident.

  • In the spring of 1965, the Soviet authorities issued a postage stamp at a value of four kopecks in his honor.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • Once again, postage stamps have served as a non-violent means of delivering a message about territorial claims.

    Academic text (1992)
  • The letter was mailed with a postage stamp to ensure delivery.

Synonyms

stamp
vspostage stamp
240 1.0

A small piece of paper put on a letter to show postage is paid

is specifically issued by postal authority with design for mail payment
postage
vspostage stamp
15 2.3

A small paper stamp you put on a letter to show you paid to send it

is an official paper piece with a design issued by postal authority as payment proof
vintage postage stamp
vspostage stamp
7.8

A small old paper used to pay for sending letters and often kept by collectors

is the ordinary, current small paper used for mail payment, not collectible

Surface Forms

postage stamp singular

Morphology

postage + stamp

The compound combines two clearly related nouns: 'postage' (relating to payment or service for sending mail) and 'stamp' (an adhesive label). A B1 learner who knows both words can readily infer it refers to the adhesive label used to pay postage; this compositional pattern is common across languages and therefore highly transparent.

Etymology

Postage stamp comes from the idea of a small piece of paper that shows the mail fee was 'paid'. The word postage means the cost to send a letter and stamp comes from marking or sticking a small paper to an envelope, so a postage stamp is the little paper proof you stick on mail to show payment.