To send one to Coventry
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
To take no notice of him; to make him feel that he is in disgrace by having no dealings with him. Cp.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “To send one to Coventry” mean?
To take no notice of him; to make him feel that he is in disgrace by having no dealings with him. Cp.
Is “To send one to Coventry” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.