box
1a container, case, or receptacle, usually rectangular, of wood, metal, cardboard, etc., and often with a lid or removable cover.
the quantity contained in a box: She bought a box of candy as a gift.
Chiefly British. a gift or present: a Christmas box.
a compartment or section in a public place, shut or railed off for the accommodation of a small number of people, especially in a theater, opera house, sports stadium, etc.
a small enclosure or area in a courtroom, for witnesses or the jury.
a small shelter: a sentry's box.
British.
a small house, cabin, or cottage, as for use while hunting: a shooting box.
a telephone booth.
a wardrobe trunk.
the driver's seat on a coach.
the section of a wagon in which passengers or parcels are carried.
Automotive. the section of a truck in which cargo is carried.
the box, Informal. television:Are there any good shows on the box tonight?
part of a page of a newspaper or periodical set off in some manner, as by lines, a border, or white space.
any enclosing, protective case or housing, sometimes including its contents: a gear box; a fire-alarm box.
Baseball.
either of two marked spaces, one on each side of the plate, in which the batter stands.
either of two marked spaces, one outside of first base and the other outside of third, where the coaches stand.
the pitcher's mound.
the marked space where the catcher stands.
a difficult situation; predicament.
Agriculture. a bowl or pit cut in the side of a tree for collecting sap.
Jazz Slang.
a stringed instrument, as a guitar.
a piano.
Informal.
a phonograph.
a boom box.
a computer.
Slang. a coffin.
Slang: Vulgar.
the vulva or vagina.
to put into a box: She boxed the glassware before the movers came.
to enclose or confine as in a box (often followed by in or up).
to furnish with a box.
to form into a box or the shape of a box.
to block so as to keep from passing or achieving better position (often followed by in): The Ferrari was boxed in by two other cars on the tenth lap.
to group together for consideration as one unit: to box bills in the legislature.
Building Trades. to enclose or conceal (a building or structure) as with boarding.
Agriculture. to make a hole or cut in (a tree) for sap to collect.
to mix (paint, varnish, or the like) by pouring from one container to another and back again.
Australian.
to mix groups of sheep that should be kept separated.
to confuse someone or something.
box out, Basketball. to position oneself between an opposing player and the basket to hinder the opposing player from rebounding or tipping in a shot; block out.
Idioms about box
out of the box, Australian Slang. remarkable or exceptional; extraordinary.
outside the box, Informal. in an innovative or unconventional manner; with a fresh perspective: You have to think outside the box and adapt those strategies to your business.: Also out of the box .
Origin of box
1Other words from box
- boxlike, adjective
Words Nearby box
Other definitions for box (2 of 4)
to fight against (someone) in a boxing match.
to strike with the hand or fist, especially on the ear.
a blow, as with the hand or fist: He gave the boy a box on his ear.
Origin of box
2Other definitions for box (3 of 4)
an evergreen shrub or small tree of the genus Buxus, especially B. sempervirens, having shiny, elliptic, dark-green leaves, used for ornamental borders, hedges, etc., and yielding a hard, durable wood.
the wood itself.
any of various other shrubs or trees, especially species of eucalyptus.
Origin of box
3- Compare boxwood.
Other definitions for box (4 of 4)
Nautical. to boxhaul (often followed by off).
Meteorology. to fly around the center of a storm in a boxlike pattern in order to gather meteorological data: to box a storm.
Origin of box
4Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use box in a sentence
A very lightweight option at only one pound, the Pendaflex file box is by far the most easily transportable.
Great filing cabinets for your home office | PopSci Commerce Team | September 17, 2020 | Popular-ScienceWe don’t have to box ourselves in to our present limitations.
Dawn of the Heliocene - Issue 90: Something Green | Summer Praetorius | September 16, 2020 | NautilusIt’s thinking outside the box and using the current technology that we already have.
Malala Yousafzai tells the business community: Education is the best way to guard against future crises | Michal Lev-Ram, writer | September 15, 2020 | FortuneIt also includes a USB-C to USB-C charging cable in the box.
Grab a recommended 90W charger for your phone, Switch, and laptop for $43 | Ars Staff | September 11, 2020 | Ars TechnicaVariety reported that box office revenue in South Korea was down 30 to 40 percent in January 2020 compared to previous years.
How the coronavirus outbreak is roiling the film and entertainment industries | Alissa Wilkinson | September 11, 2020 | Vox
In response to the screen quota cut, South Korea established a “cinema tax” on the box office.
Propaganda, Protest, and Poisonous Vipers: The Cinema War in Korea | Rich Goldstein | December 30, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTHe goes into some detail into what it took to persuade voters to pass marriage equality at the ballot box in four states in 2012.
The Real Story Behind the Fight for Marriage Equality | E.J. Graff | December 30, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTHow to Train Your Dragon 2, the tenth highest grossing movie in 2014 America, made $22 million at the Korean box office.
Propaganda, Protest, and Poisonous Vipers: The Cinema War in Korea | Rich Goldstein | December 30, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTBy 2012, the marriage equality movement had won in courts and legislatures—but not at the ballot box.
The Real Story Behind the Fight for Marriage Equality | E.J. Graff | December 30, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThat November, many of us were stunned as voters in four states supported marriage equality at the ballot box.
The Real Story Behind the Fight for Marriage Equality | E.J. Graff | December 30, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTBeside her was a box of bonbons, which she held out at intervals to Madame Ratignolle.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories | Kate ChopinNow and then the boy who had bought Squinty, and who was taking him home, would look around at his pet in the slatted box.
Squinty the Comical Pig | Richard BarnumThe little pig in the box felt himself being lifted out of the wagon.
Squinty the Comical Pig | Richard BarnumMrs. Newbolt was cutting splints for her new sun-bonnet out of a pasteboard box.
The Bondboy | George W. (George Washington) OgdenWith a hammer the boy knocked off some of the slats of the small box in which Squinty had made his journey.
Squinty the Comical Pig | Richard Barnum
British Dictionary definitions for box (1 of 3)
/ (bɒks) /
a receptacle or container made of wood, cardboard, etc, usually rectangular and having a removable or hinged lid
Also called: boxful the contents of such a receptacle or the amount it can contain: he ate a whole box of chocolates
any of various containers for a specific purpose: a money box; letter box
(often in combination) any of various small cubicles, kiosks, or shelters: a telephone box or callbox; a sentry box; a signal box on a railway
a separate compartment in a public place for a small group of people, as in a theatre or certain restaurants
an enclosure within a courtroom: See jury box, witness box
British a small country house occupied by sportsmen when following a field sport, esp shooting
a protective housing for machinery or mechanical parts
the contents of such a box
(in combination): a gearbox
a shaped device of light tough material worn by sportsmen to protect the genitals, esp in cricket
a section of printed matter on a page, enclosed by lines, a border, or white space
a central agency to which mail is addressed and from which it is collected or redistributed: a post-office box; to reply to a box number in a newspaper advertisement
the central part of a computer or the casing enclosing it
short for penalty box
baseball either of the designated areas in which the batter may stand
the raised seat on which the driver sits in a horse-drawn coach
NZ a wheeled container for transporting coal in a mine
Australian and NZ an accidental mixing of herds or flocks
a hole cut into the base of a tree to collect the sap
short for Christmas box
a device for dividing water into two or more ditches in an irrigation system
an informal name for a coffin
taboo, slang the female genitals
be a box of birds NZ to be very well indeed
the box British informal television
think outside the box or think out of the box to think in a different, innovative, or original manner, esp with regard to business practices, products, systems, etc
tick all the boxes to satisfy all of the apparent requirements for success
out of the box Australian informal outstanding or excellent: a day out of the box
(tr) to put into a box
(tr ; usually foll by in or up) to prevent from moving freely; confine
(tr foll by in) printing to enclose (text) within a ruled frame
(tr) to make a cut in the base of (a tree) in order to collect the sap
(tr) Australian and NZ to mix (flocks or herds) accidentally
(tr sometimes foll by up) NZ to confuse: I am all boxed up
nautical short for boxhaul
box the compass nautical to name the compass points in order
Origin of box
1Derived forms of box
- boxlike, adjective
British Dictionary definitions for box (2 of 3)
/ (bɒks) /
(tr) to fight (an opponent) in a boxing match
(intr) to engage in boxing
(tr) to hit (a person) with the fist; punch or cuff
box clever to behave in a careful and cunning way
a punch with the fist, esp on the ear
Origin of box
2British Dictionary definitions for box (3 of 3)
/ (bɒks) /
a dense slow-growing evergreen tree or shrub of the genus Buxus, esp B. sempervirens, which has small shiny leaves and is used for hedges, borders, and garden mazes: family Buxaceae
the wood of this tree: See boxwood (def. 1)
any of several trees the timber or foliage of which resembles this tree, esp various species of Eucalyptus with rough bark
Origin of box
3Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with box
In addition to the idioms beginning with box
- box office
- box score
- box the compass
also see:
- in a bind (box)
- on one's soapbox
- pandora's box
- stuff the ballot box
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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