boxcar

[ boks-kahr ]

/ ˈbɒksˌkɑr /

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noun

Railroads. a completely enclosed freight car.

boxcars, a pair of sixes on the first throw of the dice in the game of craps.

adjective

Informal. extremely or disproportionately large: The business had boxcar profits during its first year.

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QUIZ YOURSELF ON "WAS" VS. "WERE"!

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Question 1 of 7

“Was” is used for the indicative past tense of “to be,” and “were” is only used for the subjunctive past tense.

true

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Origin of boxcar

An Americanism dating back to 1855–60; box¹ + car¹

Words nearby boxcar

box bolt, boxboy, box calf, box camera, box canyon, boxcar, box chronometer, box coat, box column, box cornice, box cutter

How to use boxcar in a sentence

When the kids eventually went to live with their grandfather and turned the boxcar into a playhouse, I felt duped and put the series down forever.
On Breakups and Taking Your Dream Adventure Solo|eriley|July 22, 2021|Outside Online
Rick and company are out of the boxcar inside Terminus, the “sanctuary for all” which may or may not be filled with cannibals.
Daryl and Carol Reunite in New Walking Dead Teaser Trailer|The Daily Beast|September 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
"You had boxcar loads of currency" moving across borders, says Michael Spencer, an economist who has written about this period.
Get Ready to Barter Like it's 1919|Noah Kristula-Green|June 4, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Upon reaching the end of the line, Rob emptied his boxcar and placed 10 yellow pawns on the Dachau card.
Brenda Brathwaite: Holocaust Game Designer|Ben Crair|December 13, 2010|DAILY BEAST

But at one point in Cupertino, all but five pawns were on a card or in a boxcar.
Brenda Brathwaite: Holocaust Game Designer|Ben Crair|December 13, 2010|DAILY BEAST
When Rob was the first to move a boxcar to the end of the line, he followed the rules and drew a Terminus card.
Brenda Brathwaite: Holocaust Game Designer|Ben Crair|December 13, 2010|DAILY BEAST
I recognized the reddish tan that comes from facing a hot wind on the top of a moving boxcar.
Nine Men in Time|Noel Miller Loomis
Behind the engine was a vehicle like a boxcar low hung on wheels.
Automobile Biographies|Lyman Horace Weeks
I was sleeping in a boxcar and they put that boxcar on a tugboat and sent it across the river.
Warren Commission (3 of 26): Hearings Vol. III (of 15)|The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy
Blackie Bauer had been sitting in a boxcar with his legs sticking through the door when the train started with a jerk.
The Altar at Midnight|Cyril M. Kornbluth
With Dan he darted to the boxcar whose door had been pulled shut from the inside.
Dan Carter and the Great Carved Face|Mildred A. Wirt

British Dictionary definitions for boxcar

boxcar

/ (ˈbɒksˌkɑː) /

noun

US and Canadian a closed railway freight van

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