Postage
'pɒstɪdʒ
Definitions
The fee charged for the mailing or shipping of something.
'pɒstɪdʒ
The price of sending mail.
The postage for this package is quite expensive.
💡 Simply: It's like the price tag you pay to send a letter or package through the mail. Imagine you want to send a birthday card, you need to put postage on it so the mail carrier will deliver it.
👶 For kids: The money you pay to send a letter or package in the mail.
More Examples
I forgot to put enough postage on the envelope, and it was returned to me.
You can buy postage stamps at the post office or online.
The cost of postage has increased recently.
How It's Used
"Companies often factor in postage costs when calculating the price of a product."
"I need to buy some postage before I can mail this letter."
Idioms & expressions
Postage Due
A term used when a mail item arrives at its destination with insufficient or no postage.
"The letter arrived postage due, so I had to pay the additional amount to receive it."
First Class Postage
The standard and generally fastest class of mail service provided by postal services.
"I sent the letter using first class postage to ensure it arrives quickly."
From Old French *postage*, derived from *poste* (post, station), ultimately from Latin *posita* (placed, stationed). Originally referred to the act of posting something, later evolving to mean the cost of sending mail.
Historically, postage referred to the fee paid to transport items. Before standardized postal systems, it was often paid by the recipient.
Memory tip
Think of the cost as the gate to get a parcel posted.