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.

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box cutter British  

noun

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

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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

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

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

He saw the box cutter Hernandez was carrying and thought it was not dangerous.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 17, 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