What does "delivered" mean?

Question

Amazon says my package is "delivered". Is this correct English, if the package was not brought to my address yet?
When I google deliver, it is defined as:

bring and hand over (a letter, parcel, or ordered goods) to the proper recipient or address.

However, on Amazon's website, they use a different definition (I have added italics for emphasis):

packages may say delivered up to 48 hours before arrival.

This latter definition seems to imply that a package can be delivered but has not arrived. How can this be the case? According to Google's definition, the package was handed over or brought to the proper address. So has it not also arrived there?
Am I missing some nuance about the word delivered, or is Amazon bending the language? In what way does Amazon's use of delivered help the purpose of clear communication?
Update. Well, it turns out, in this case, that the package was actually delivered -- and arrived -- on time, and I had simply lost it. So the delivered vs. arrived question feels a bit more hypothetical now, and I certainly feel embarrassed. Nonetheless, they do have that sentence on their website, so maybe it could have been an issue for someone.

StephenS · Accepted Answer

There is no special meaning of “delivered” here; they’re warning you that their web site may be inaccurate by reporting the package has been delivered up to 48 hours before it actually is.
In the US, at least, one of their methods of delivery is called “SmartPost”, where they ship the package to your local post office, and then the post office delivers it to your home. Unfortunately, Amazon can only track the delivery to the post office; they can’t track what happens after that or, more importantly, when it happens. So, their web site can’t give accurate delivery times in that case and falls back to what data it does have.

What does "delivered" mean?

One Answer

Add your own answers!

Ask a Question