pillbox

[pil-boks]

See more synonyms for pillbox on Thesaurus.com

noun

a box, usually shallow and often round, for holding pills.
a small, low structure of reinforced concrete, enclosing machine guns, and employed as a minor fortress in warfare.
a small, round, brimless hat with straight sides and a flat top, worn especially by women.

Origin of pillbox

First recorded in 1720–30; pill¹ + box¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for pillbox

Contemporary Examples

The policeman, now yelling and shaking his fist, started to exit his pillbox and walk toward me.
My Search for the Taliban Five
Josh Rogin
June 15, 2014
Life magazine ran a photo of Lamarr with a swarm of reporters, looking beleaguered and delicate in white gloves and a pillbox hat.
Great Weekend Reads
The Daily Beast
July 3, 2011
Princess Eugenie's sculptural piece by Philip Treacy, Victoria Beckham's pillbox, and more over-the-top headgear from the wedding!
Hats Off, Will & Kate!
The Daily Beast
April 29, 2011
While wearing one of her own dresses, Victoria Beckham wore a pillbox Philip Treacy hat.
Hats Off: The Major Fashion Accessory
Caroline Linton
April 29, 2011
Terry is still haunted by the memory of flushing out a German pillbox.
My Father, The Inglourious Basterd
Kim Masters
August 9, 2009

Historical Examples

At this interesting crisis Dr. Pillbox (evidently a most attentive practitioner) arrived to pay a second visit.
Loyal to the School
Angela Brazil
Satisfied that no pillbox stood behind any of them, he pulled open the two drawers and tumbled their contents about.
The Red Seal
Natalie Sumner Lincoln

British Dictionary definitions for pillbox

pillbox

noun

a box for pills
a small enclosed fortified emplacement, usually made of reinforced concrete
a small round hat, now worn esp by women

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

Word Origin and History for pillbox

n.

also pill-box, "box for holding pills," 1730, from pill (n.) + box (n.). As a small round concrete machine gun nest, it came into use in World War I. As a type of hat, attested from 1958.

pillbox

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}pillbox

Examples from the Web for pillbox

Contemporary Examples

The policeman, now yelling and shaking his fist, started to exit his pillbox and walk toward me.

Life magazine ran a photo of Lamarr with a swarm of reporters, looking beleaguered and delicate in white gloves and a pillbox hat.

Princess Eugenie's sculptural piece by Philip Treacy, Victoria Beckham's pillbox, and more over-the-top headgear from the wedding!

While wearing one of her own dresses, Victoria Beckham wore a pillbox Philip Treacy hat.

Terry is still haunted by the memory of flushing out a German pillbox.

Historical Examples

At this interesting crisis Dr. Pillbox (evidently a most attentive practitioner) arrived to pay a second visit.

Satisfied that no pillbox stood behind any of them, he pulled open the two drawers and tumbled their contents about.

pillbox

Word Origin and History for pillbox

n.

Origin of pillbox