letterbox

American  

[let-er-boks] / ˈlɛt ərˌbɒks /

noun

1. Chiefly British. Also letter box a public or private mailbox.

2. Digital Technology, Television. a technique for displaying a wide-screen film or landscape video on a narrower screen by reducing its size but retaining the aspect ratio, with black bands filling the screen above and below the picture (often used attributively).

   letterbox videos.

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verb (used with object)

1. Digital Technology, Television. to display (a film or video) by using the letterbox technique.

Etymology

Origin of letterbox

First recorded in 1765–75; letter ¹ ( def. ) + box ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

Previously the company only accepted parcels small enough to fit through a letterbox.

From BBC • Apr. 10, 2025

The couple quickly found themselves £60,000 in debt, with bailiffs at the door and demands streaming through the letterbox.

From BBC • Jan. 26, 2025

But when the then 24-year-old turned up at the flat on 2 October 1984, there was no answer and a "horrible smell" when he opened the letterbox.

From BBC • Jan. 16, 2025

Many adoptive parents agree the current "letterbox" system of contact is not effective.

From BBC • Nov. 6, 2024

But it occurs to me that I’ve never seen the real Adam Tok—just the letterbox view from the top of the eyebrows to the bottom of the lower lip.

From "Linked" by Gordon Korman