boxcar

American  

[boks-kahr] / ˈbɒksˌkɑr /

noun

1. Railroads. a completely enclosed freight car.

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

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adjective

1. Informal. extremely or disproportionately large.

   The business had boxcar profits during its first year.

boxcar British  

/ ˈbɒksˌkɑː /

noun

1. a closed railway freight van

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Etymology

Origin of boxcar

An Americanism dating back to 1855–60; box ¹ + car ¹

Example Sentences

He attended the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign for undergrad and continued at its College of Law, working summers in the boxcar factory where his father was employed.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 10, 2026

The pavilion houses a giant boxcar that was unearthed outside the Majdanek concentration and death camp in Poland, and is believed to have transported Jews to the camp during the Holocaust.

From Los Angeles Times • May 4, 2026

Mr. Mallory contended that his job entailed spraying boxcar pipes with asbestos and demolishing car interiors that, he claims, contained carcinogens.

From New York Times • Jun. 27, 2023

The object of the game is for players to fill a boxcar with tokens and get it to the other side of a board.

From Washington Post • Mar. 24, 2023

In Lecheria, train companies sometimes load a large closed container the size of a boxcar into a slightly larger, open container—a box inside a half box.

From "Enrique's Journey" by Sonia Nazario