letterbox

American  

[let-er-boks] / ˈlɛt ərˌbɒks /

noun

• letterboxes
  plural

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.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• letterboxes
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of letterbox

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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

letterbox letterboxes

Nitu Sharma and Jaspreet Singh get many leaflets for takeaways through their letterbox.

From BBC ● Apr. 18, 2026

And despite the hundreds of cards passing through her letterbox everyday, Clare plans to thank each person individually.

From BBC ● Dec. 12, 2025

You can cover external keyholes and add a flap or brush to your letterbox, or hang a door curtain.

From BBC ● Nov. 19, 2025

Both take cash - the honesty box has envelopes and a letterbox for change.

From BBC ● Nov. 8, 2025

Pathos is the appeal you see uppermost in the heart-wrenching, expensively printed flyers that pop through your letterbox asking for donations to charity.

From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith

They were left to sew badges on to their own kit and put leaflets through letterboxes urging people to come and watch them play.

From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2023

I’ve told my workers to be strict with what they sell and who to, but they aren’t changing their behaviour much, other than offering to post through letterboxes and accept bank transfers from trusted customers.

From The Guardian ● Mar. 28, 2020

Nobody’s going to flay you to death just for barking offers of money through the letterboxes of recently bereaved parents, or trawling for offensive tweets with your free hand.

From The Guardian ● Dec. 22, 2018

The hotel’s original touches include ornamental plaster ceilings and nickel-and-bronze letterboxes.

From Washington Post ● Oct. 18, 2017

For I could not help laughing at the idea that even the letterboxes had to enjoy their Sabbath rest.

From Recollections of My Childhood and Youth by Georg Morris Cohen Brandes

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