telegraphed

IPA/ˈtel.ɪ.ɡrɑːf/
KK[tˈɛləɡrˌæft]IPA/ˈtel.ə.ɡræf/

telegraphed — verb

  • telegraphedpresent simple I / you / we / they
  • telegrapheds3rd person singular
  • telegrapheding-ing form
  • telegraphededpast simple

1. to use the telegraph to deliver a written message over a long distance.

1.verbtransitive / intransitiveB2
Definition

to use the telegraph to deliver a written message over a long distance.

Example

Emre telegraphed his family in Istanbul to say he had arrived safely in New York.

telegraph + someone + that-clause

The company telegraphed the urgent order to the factory in Manchester.

telegraph + noun phrase + to + location

Common collocations
  • telegraph a message
  • telegraph news
  • telegraph congratulations
  • telegraph for supplies
  • telegraph to someone
Synonyms
  • wire

    more informal, common in American English in the same historical context

  • cable

    refers specifically to sending a message via undersea cable

Grammar Patterns

telegraph + someone + noun phrase

telegraph + that-clause

telegraph + for + something

Usage Note

This sense only describes communication through the telegraph system, not by telephone or email. The recipient can be the direct object (telegraphed someone) or the message can be the direct object (telegraphed a message).

Common Mistakes

I telegraphed her a message over the phone.
I called her with the news.
Telegraphing requires the telegraph system, not a telephone.
The office telegraphed a package to London.
The office sent a package to London by train.
Telegraphing transmits written messages, not physical objects.

2. to show your upcoming action or emotional state through physical signs such as p

2.verbtransitiveC1
Definition

to show your upcoming action or emotional state through physical signs such as posture, facial expression, or gesture, often without meaning to.

Example

The boxer telegraphed his punch by dropping his shoulder just before throwing it.

telegraph + noun phrase (punch) — revealing through body language

Felix's cheerful wave telegraphed that the meeting had gone better than expected.

telegraph + that-clause

Common collocations
  • telegraph a punch
  • telegraph one's intentions
  • telegraph one's feelings
  • telegraph nervousness
  • telegraph doubts
Synonyms
  • signal

    can be intentional or unintentional; less specific to revealing hidden intentions

  • reveal

    broader and more neutral; can refer to any kind of disclosure

  • betray

    stronger negative connotation; suggests the person tried to hide the information

  • give away

    more informal; a phrasal verb with the same meaning

Antonyms
  • conceal

    to keep intentions hidden

  • hide

    to prevent others from seeing one's feelings or plans

Grammar Patterns

telegraph + noun phrase

telegraph + that-clause

Usage Note

Frequently used in sports contexts, especially boxing and football, to describe a player whose body movements reveal their next move. Also common in everyday settings for unintentionally showing emotions through facial expressions or posture.

Common Mistakes

He telegraphed the news to his team by email.
He sent the news to his team by email.
This figurative sense is for unintentional signals through body language, not for sending information deliberately.

telegraphed — noun

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/2

All four words describe making something known, but they differ in intentionality and context. Signal is the most neutral — it can be intentional or not, and is commonly used in sports and traffic contexts ('the coach signalled a change of strategy'). Reveal is broader and more formal, covering any kind of disclosure whether deliberate or accidental ('the test results revealed a problem'). Betray carries a stronger negative tone, suggesting someone tried to hide something but failed ('his voice betrayed his fear'). Give away is the most informal phrasal verb and matches telegraphed's meaning of unintentionally disclosing through action ('her expression gave away her true feelings'). Of these, telegraphed is the most specific: it always relates to actions or body language that foreshadow a coming action, especially in competitive sports or tense personal situations.

signal ↗reveal ↗betray ↗give away ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • telegraph system
  • telegraph network
  • telegraph office
  • telegraph operator

Phrases

  • by telegraph
  • via telegraph

Prepositions

  • by telegraph
  • via telegraph

Etymology

GreekFrenchEnglish

Telegraph comes from the French word télégraphe, built from two Greek roots: tele- meaning 'far off' or 'at a distance', and graphein meaning 'to write'. So telegraph literally means 'far-writing' — writing from a distance. The word first appeared in English in the late 1700s to describe a signalling system using visible towers. By the 1830s it referred to the electrical telegraph, and later the verb form telegraphed took on the figurative meaning of 'unintentionally revealing one's intentions' in early 20th-century boxing slang.

First known use

1793

1793, in the meaning defined at sense 1 Verb