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glove compartment

American  

noun

  • glove compartments
    plural
  1. a compartment in the dashboard of an automobile for storing small items.


glove compartment British  

noun

  1. a small compartment in a car dashboard for the storage of miscellaneous articles

"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

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of glove compartment

First recorded in 1935–40

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:

As I opened the glove compartment, our hands slightly brushed each other’s, and there was a moment of excitement.

From Los Angeles Times Nov. 7, 2025

The complaint said they found a lighter inside the glove compartment of the suspect’s car on Jan. 24.

From The Wall Street Journal Oct. 8, 2025

The body camera footage shows an exchange that became more tense when Ms. Heard let the officers know that she had a gun locked in her glove compartment.

From New York Times Aug. 4, 2023

When trying to figure out how the gun he keeps locked in his glove compartment got in his bookbag, Waddell realized he’d taken it out when he took the vehicle in for repairs.

From Seattle Times Feb. 19, 2023

Inside the truck, Nathan opened the glove compartment and saw what he needed: his cell phone.

From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young

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