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soapbox

American  
[sohp-boks] / ˈsoʊpˌbɒks /

noun

  1. Also soap box an improvised platform, as one on a street, from which a speaker delivers an informal speech, an appeal, or political harangue.

adjective

  1. of, relating to, or characteristic of a speaker or speech from a soapbox.

soapbox British  
/ ˈsəʊpˌbɒks /

noun

  1. a box or crate for packing soap

  2. a crate used as a platform for speech-making

  3. a child's homemade racing cart consisting of a wooden box set on a wooden frame with wheels and a steerable front axle

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of soapbox

First recorded in 1650–60; soap + box 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

It’s a free soapbox that forces management to address issues they’d rather not discuss.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 16, 2026

But “The Paper” is a spinoff of “The Office” — in the loosest sense — so this isn’t a soapbox.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 21, 2025

The BID has hosted a soapbox derby, an autumn festival, and a "dino day", where actors dress up as dinosaurs and walk around the town to entertain children.

From BBC • Jan. 3, 2025

A sturdy and symbolic soapbox for speeches on liberty.

From Slate • Nov. 28, 2024

In Harlem, Malcolm X is standing on a soapbox talking about a revolution.

From "Brown Girl Dreaming" by Jacqueline Woodson

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.