A message is a piece of information that someone sends to another person. When you write a note to your friend, send a text to your parent, or leave a voicemail for your teacher, you're delivering a message.

Messages can travel in many ways: spoken out loud, written on paper, sent through email, or even communicated through gestures like a thumbs up. A messenger pigeon carrying a note tied to its leg delivers a message. A bottle washed up on a beach with a letter inside contains a message. Before telephones and the internet, people waited days or weeks for messages to arrive by horse or ship.

The word also refers to the main idea someone wants you to understand. When your mom tells a story about someone who kept trying and finally succeeded, her message might be about the value of persistence. Movies, books, and songs often have messages: lessons or ideas the creator wants to share with the audience. A story about friendship might carry the message that loyal friends support each other through difficult times.

Sometimes people say they “get the message” when they understand what someone really means, even if it wasn't said directly. When you keep hinting that you'd like to play outside and your friend finally agrees, they've gotten the message.