mailbox

American  

[meyl-boks] / ˈmeɪlˌbɒks /

noun

mailboxes plural

1. a public box in which mail is placed for pickup and delivery by the post office.

2. a private box, as at a home, into which mail is delivered by the mail carrier.

3. Computers. a file for storing electronic mail.

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mailbox British  

/ ˈmeɪlˌbɒks /

noun

1. 1. a slot, usually covered with a hinged flap, through which letters, etc are delivered to a building

   2. Also called (in Britain and certain other countries): letter box.  a private box into which letters, etc, are delivered

2. Also called (in Britain and certain other countries): postbox.  a public box into which letters, etc, are put for collection and delivery

3. (on a computer) the directory in which e-mail messages are stored; also used of the icon that can be clicked to provide access to e-mails

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• mailboxes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of mailbox

First recorded in 1800–10; mail ¹ + box ¹

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

mailbox mailboxes

If checks need to be mailed, doing it from the post office rather than a mailbox or a blue U.S.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 9, 2026

When the reporter placed a letter for Paxton in the mailbox, an envelope addressed to Warren Paxton, the attorney general’s given name, was visible.

From Salon ● Jul. 7, 2026

Al Otro Lado, Justice Samuel Alito, writing for the court’s majority, reached for a football field, a front porch, and a mailbox.

From Slate ● Jun. 26, 2026

We left a letter in her mailbox with our contact details, but she did not respond.

From BBC ● Apr. 24, 2026

He settled for grabbing the Winstons’ brick-encased mailbox.

From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Police also asked postal workers to report overflowing mailboxes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026

Amy Thoma, a former Republican strategist who is no longer affiliated with a political party, noted that Becerra’s surge comes at a critical moment in the election, shortly before ballots land in Californians’ mailboxes.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 21, 2026

Yellow ribbons are tied around mailboxes and roadside library posts.

From Slate ● Feb. 23, 2026

Yellow ribbons are tied to neighbors’ mailboxes and trees.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 13, 2026

Every inch of that mile is filled with Christmas lights hanging from trees, mailboxes, and houses.

From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan