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matchbox

American

[mach-boks] / ˈmætʃˌbɒks /

noun

a small box, usually of cardboard, for matches.

matchbox British

/ ˈmætʃˌbɒks /

noun

a small box for holding matches

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of matchbox

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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

matchbox

It also taps into nostalgia for the toy cars, which originated after English engineer Jack Odell designed the first model to comply with a 1952 British school rule requiring toys to fit inside a matchbox.

From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026

These so-called inertial navigation units, which range from the size of a matchbox to that of a Kleenex box, can be made for use in the air, on land, underground or underwater.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 18, 2026

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

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2025

The party turned out to be on a roof that could be accessed only through a window too small to fit the matchbox.

From Slate ● Jul. 21, 2025

I looked to the matchbox beside me, Louise’s bed.

From "Secrets at Sea" by Richard Peck

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023