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box cutter

American  
[boks kuht-er] / ˈbɒks ˌkʌt ər /

noun

  1. a small cutting tool consisting of a retractable razor blade in a metal or plastic holder, designed for opening cardboard cartons.


box cutter British  

noun

  1. a knife-like tool with a short retractable blade

"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 box cutter

First recorded in 1825–30 in the sense of a person who cuts boxes; current sense dates from 1950–55

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.

See Examples For:

A Frontier Airlines flight on Nov. 11 landed early after a passenger brought a box cutter onto the plane, something TSA later said happened because agents made errors during the security screening.

From Washington Post Nov. 25, 2022

In violation of T.S.A. policy, this box cutter was returned to the passenger after its blades were removed.

From New York Times Nov. 13, 2022

If you're dealing with a lot of heavy brown matter, a mulcher might come in handy, but just cutting up cardboard with a box cutter works, too.

From Salon Jun. 26, 2022

“It’s open,” said KING-5 anchor Jake Whittenberg, as they used a box cutter on the package.

From Seattle Times Dec. 31, 2020

Mom’s holding a box cutter and leaning over one of the billion boxes piled up around the apartment.

From "A Soft Place to Land" by Janae Marks

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