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noun B1 Intermediate Uncommon

fax

faks
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Fax (noun) means a document sent electronically over a phone line to be printed at the other end, or the machine that sends and receives such documents. Example: “Please send the signed contract by fax.”

noun
1
A document sent electronically over a phone line to be printed at the other end, or the machine that sends and receives such documents.
"Please send the signed contract by fax."
"The office still has an old fax machine in the corner."
"The solicitor's office received a fax with the final paperwork this morning."
verb
1
To send a document using a fax machine.
"Can you fax me the invoice today?"
"He faxed the form to the council office before closing time."
"I'll fax you the map so you can find the venue."

How to use fax

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishA way of sending documents over phone lines, once common in offices before email took over.

When to use it

Increasingly old-fashioned; mostly survives in legal, medical, and government offices.

Common pairings
send a fax fax machine fax number
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Word forms

Plural
faxes
Third person singular
faxes, faxxes
Past tense
faxed, faxxed
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Fill the gap

Can you complete this real example?

Please send the signed contract by _____.

Etymology

From Middle English fax, from Old English feax (“hair, head of hair”), from Proto-West Germanic *fahs, from Proto-Germanic *fahsą (“hair, mane”), from Proto-Indo-European *poḱsom (“hair”, literally “that which is combed, shorn, or plucked”), from Proto-Indo-European *peḱ- (“to comb, shear, pluck”). Cognate with Dutch vas (“headhair”), German Fachs (“head-hair”), Norwegian faks (“mane”), Icelandic fax (“mane”), Sanskrit पक्ष्मन् (pákṣman, “eyelash, hair, filament”).

Origin: Middle English

Synonyms

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facsimile telecopy telefax

Related words

model copy reproduction replica facsimile telecopy telefax

Frequently asked questions

What does “fax” mean?
The word “fax” means a document sent electronically over a phone line to be printed at the other end, or the machine that sends and receives such documents. In plain terms, a way of sending documents over phone lines, once common in offices before email took over.
How do you pronounce “fax”?
“Fax” is pronounced faks (/fæks/ in IPA).
How do you use “fax” in a sentence?
Here is “fax” used in a sentence: “Please send the signed contract by fax.”
What part of speech is “fax”?
Depending on how it is used, “fax” can be a noun and a verb.
Is “fax” a common word?
“Fax” is an uncommon word in modern English, usually learned at around the B1 level.
How many meanings does “fax” have?
“Fax” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a document sent electronically over a phone line to be printed at the other end, or the machine that sends and receives such documents.
What is the difference between a fax and an email?
A fax transmits a document as an image over a telephone line to be printed by a receiving machine, while an email sends digital text and files over the internet without needing a physical printout at either end. Fax was the standard for instant document transmission before email and digital scanning became widespread.
Is faxing still used today?
Fax machines are used far less than in previous decades but remain in use in certain industries, such as healthcare, law, and government, where fax is still accepted for official or legally binding documents. Most everyday communication has shifted to email and digital file sharing.
Is fax short for facsimile?
Yes, fax is a shortened form of facsimile, which refers to an exact copy of a document. The word originally referred to the copy itself before becoming the common name for both the technology and the machine.

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etymology from Wiktionary