emissaries

plural of emissary
1
2
as in spies
a person who tries secretly to obtain information for one country in the territory of another usually unfriendly country the embassy's staff likely contains at least one emissary who reports to the home country's chief of intelligence

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of emissaries See pictures from the funeral below, along with a list of the foreign emissaries who attended. — Stefania Conrieri, Vanity Fair, 9 Sep. 2026 According to the news release, the school is also expanding its participation in the Shinshinim program—two new young emissaries from Israel will join the school for a year before their army service. — Karen Billing, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Aug. 2026 Sick of It All were NYHC’s most welcoming emissaries, and their mouthpiece was Lou Koller, whose death was announced Friday. — Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 25 July 2026 The president’s top-two emissaries also happen to be the highest-profile potential candidates to succeed him. — Vivian Salama, The Atlantic, 27 June 2026 In 2021, Biden emissaries turned to the Roman Catholic Church for help, former Biden-era officials told USA TODAY. — Rick Jervis, USA Today, 13 May 2026 Expect emissaries from the ever-changing world of media. — Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 10 Apr. 2026 The overconfidence of the pro-Trump push in country music pre- and postelection is backfiring on many of its most enthusiastic emissaries. — Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 8 Apr. 2026 The ruling marks a notable victory for emissaries of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, who have often been met with legal challenges when establishing centers. — Grace Gilson, Sun Sentinel, 7 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for emissaries
Noun
  • As ambassadors, the Bythewoods will give audiences a unique look into their personal and creative journeys through special programming at The New School, Urbanworld’s Innovation Summit partner.
    — Brande Victorian, HollywoodReporter, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Earlier this year, PaperAirplane expanded further with its National Radio & Media Ambassador Division, connecting theatrical campaigns with local radio personalities and media ambassadors in North America.
    — Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline, 29 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • In 2010, 11 deep-cover Russian spies were arrested across the United States, sending shockwaves around the globe.
    — Leo Barraclough, Variety, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Last year, Ken McCallum, MI5’s director-general, said Chinese spies poseda daily national security threat, and were creating fake job adverts to try to lure British professionals into handing over information.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Unlike most Western democracies in which citizens abroad can mail in a ballot, Israel doesn’t allow absentee voting; only diplomats and official envoys can vote from outside the country.
    — Tal Shalev, CNN Money, 19 Sep. 2026
  • Iroquois envoys regularly visited colonists, both to size up their ambitious rivals and to give advice on how to survive on an American continent where Native American culture dominated.
    — Scott Baldauf, Christian Science Monitor, 17 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Jamal allegedly promised to protect the Feeding Our Future operatives against the threat of prosecution, took their money, and then turned some of them over to investigators.
    — Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 5 Oct. 2026
  • To the continued amazement of advantage players, casino operatives can argue with apparent conviction that card counting— essentially mental arithmetic—is a form of fraud.
    — Kit Chellel, Fortune, 5 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • During a Monday New York City Council hearing, representatives from OpenAI, Google, Meta and Anthropic were asked to assure under oath whether AI agents will always comply with safety guardrails to prevent catastrophic harm.
    — Staff, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2026
  • The Florida Department of Emergency Management and DHS representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment about the letter, but officials have routinely denied poor conditions at detention centers across Florida.
    — Claire Healy, Miami Herald, 8 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • There is currently no payments network for AI agents, Hayes said.
    — Jenny Lee, CNBC, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Which is to say the agents are hustling — and even trying to submit to literary magazines — to stay alive.
    — Jasmine Vojdani, Vulture, 7 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Authorities estimate hundreds of thousands of protesters, including students, teachers and delegates from trade unions, took to the streets on Tuesday as protests sweep the country.
    — Melissa Bell, CNN Money, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Simms will be in town pressing the flesh alongside thousands of other delegates.
    — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 6 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • At the meetings in Bangkok, finance ministers and central bank governors of 191 IMF-World Bank member countries will assess the state of the world economy and discuss strategies to support financial stability and sustained growth.
    — Elaine Kurtenbach, Fortune, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Also on Monday, the foreign and defense ministers of Pakistan and Turkey agreed with Saudi Arabia to deploy military forces to the kingdom under their defense pact.
    — AHMED AL-HAJ, Arkansas Online, 6 Oct. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Emissaries.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/emissaries. Accessed 10 Oct. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster