mailbox

American  

[mayl-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

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Etymology

Origin of mailbox

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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

mailbox mailboxes

“So I left a note in Bruce’s mailbox that said that anyone who could write a song like ‘Disney Girls’ would like my band, and we’re playing the Ice House on Sunday,” Berg recalls.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2026

The agent is fictional, the heroes were erased, and just about the only thing I found factual was the re-creation of Kaczynski’s mailbox.

From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026

The new system will also feature real-time status updates so you don’t have to keep checking your mailbox ahead of an international trip.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

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

But here I am, with a mailbox that Jonah can no longer bear to be in the same house with, a cousin who’s not speaking to me, and an overuse injury that’s my own fault.

From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison

Its letters now flood local mailboxes, saying "there is a lot of misinformation and fear that has circulated about data centers and our project."

From Barron's ● Oct. 19, 2026

Ballots already have started to arrive in California voters’ mailboxes ahead of the Nov. 3 election.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026

The mayor ruffled feathers again when the 17,000 notices were sent out and he wrote on X that second-home owners should check their mailboxes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026

Police also asked postal workers to report overflowing mailboxes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026

"The rest were found in stairwells and mailboxes at Süderstrasse 205. All brought in by good citizens."

From "The Boy Who Dared" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

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