post-paid

IPA/ˌpəʊst ˈpeɪd/
IPA/ˌpəʊst ˈpeɪd/

post-paid — adjective

1. of a letter or parcel, sent with its mailing cost covered beforehand by the pers

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

of a letter or parcel, sent with its mailing cost covered beforehand by the person who posts it, so the person receiving it owes nothing for delivery.

Example

Imran received a post-paid package from his aunt and paid nothing at the door.

usually before noun: post-paid package / envelope / label

The company included a post-paid label so customers could return items free.

Common collocations
  • post-paid envelope
  • post-paid label
  • post-paid package
  • post-paid return
Synonyms
  • prepaid

    broader term covering any service paid in advance; post-paid is specifically about mail

Antonyms
  • postage-due

    describes mail that the receiver must pay for upon delivery

Grammar Patterns

post-paid + noun

Usage Note

Usually placed before the noun it describes, like other compound adjectives (a post-paid envelope, a post-paid label).

Common Mistakes

I sent the letter post-paid
I sent the letter using a post-paid envelope.
'post-paid' is an adjective, not an adverb; it modifies a noun.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All three terms describe a cost that has been handled before delivery, but they apply to different situations. 'Prepaid' is the broadest—it can refer to postage, phone credit, or any service paid in advance. 'Post-paid' is narrower and only refers to mail or parcels whose postage has been covered by the sender. 'Freight-paid' is specific to commercial shipping, usually for larger goods transported by truck, ship, or air. For example: 'She bought a prepaid phone card' (not post-paid), 'He used a post-paid envelope to return the form' (not freight-paid), and 'The terms were freight-paid, so the factory covered the shipping cost' (not post-paid).

prepaid ↗post-paid ↗freight-paid

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • post-paid envelope
  • post-paid return label
  • post-paid basis

Etymology

FrenchEnglish

Formed by combining 'post' (meaning postal service, from French 'poste') with 'paid' (past participle of 'pay'). The compound adjective came into use in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as postal services expanded and businesses began offering pre-paid return options to customers.

First known use

1653

1653, in the meaning defined above