matchbox

[mach-boks]

noun

1. a small box, usually of cardboard, for matches. match.

matchbox

/ ˈmætʃˌbɒks /

noun

1. a small box for holding matches

Word History and Origins

Origin of matchbox¹

First recorded in 1780–90; match ¹ + box ¹

Example Sentences

In a matter of months, they transformed the heaps of charred rubble into mostly vacant matchbox lots, ready for rebuilding.

From Los Angeles Times

Her first illusion was turning a penny into a dime using a matchbox.

From Los Angeles Times

South Koreans have described its uniform, rectangular columns as “matchboxes.”

From Los Angeles Times

Our old home in the kitchen wall behind the stove, in our matchboxes with the scrap quilts and the human-hair mattresses.

From Literature

“So of course, it just went up like a matchbox.”

From Los Angeles Times