mailbox

American  

[meyl-boks] / ˈmeɪlˌbɒks /

noun

mailboxes plural

1. a public box in which mail is placed for pickup and delivery by the post office.

2. a private box, as at a home, into which mail is delivered by the mail carrier.

3. Computers. a file for storing electronic mail.

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mailbox British  

/ ˈmeɪlˌbɒks /

noun

1. 1. a slot, usually covered with a hinged flap, through which letters, etc are delivered to a building

   2. Also called (in Britain and certain other countries): letter box.  a private box into which letters, etc, are delivered

2. Also called (in Britain and certain other countries): postbox.  a public box into which letters, etc, are put for collection and delivery

3. (on a computer) the directory in which e-mail messages are stored; also used of the icon that can be clicked to provide access to e-mails

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• mailboxes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of mailbox

First recorded in 1800–10; mail ¹ + box ¹

Example Sentences

Visiting the Kindred Spirit Mailbox proved magical and transformative for me; I worked with the local parks department to install a Kindred Spirit Mailbox on Bainbridge Island in May.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 14, 2023

This is the lake hike to do off the Middle Fork, and while the trailhead is not far past Mailbox Peak, it will feel like a completely different world.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 16, 2023

She is part of a small audience viewing Dawinder Bansal's Jambo Cinema, an immersive exhibition currently showing in Birmingham's Mailbox.

From BBC • Aug. 17, 2022

Jambo Cinema is currently showing at the Mailbox.

From BBC • Aug. 17, 2022

I hailed an autocab outside the Mailbox, making sure to select one operated by a local cab company and not a SupraCab, which was a wholly owned subsidiary of IOI.

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline