postbox

American  

[pohst-boks] / ˈpoʊstˌbɒks /

noun

Chiefly British.

• postboxes
  plural

1. a mailbox, especially one for public deposit of mail.

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postbox British  

/ ˈpəʊstˌbɒks /

noun

1. Also called: letter box.  a box into which mail is put for collection by the postal service

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• postboxes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of postbox

First recorded in 1745–55; post ³ + box ¹

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

postbox postboxes

A knitted postbox topper featuring the infamous phrase "rats the size of cats" has appeared on a street corner in Birmingham amid the city's ongoing bin strikes.

From BBC ● May 7, 2025

Customers procure a barcode from an app, then at the postbox they scan the barcode and drop the parcel into a drawer - this is all powered by solar panels on the box.

From BBC ● Apr. 13, 2025

A new postbox that can take small parcels is being trialled by Royal Mail.

From BBC ● Apr. 10, 2025

A postbox has been closed because snails have been crawling inside and munching the mail.

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2024

On some days, I wish I could stay inside my postbox, with a tiny pillow made from a stamp with a flower on it.

From "Tasting the Sky" by Ibtisam Barakat

More are on the way, hence the black plastic while postboxes are upgraded.

From BBC ● Jan. 31, 2026

Have you noticed anything different about postboxes near you?

From BBC ● Jan. 31, 2026

Last week, Royal Mail said it would roll out 3,500 solar-powered postboxes across the UK to enable customers to deposit small parcels.

From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2025

Emma Gilthorpe, Royal Mail chief executive, called it an "historic change" to give postboxes "a new lease of life".

From BBC ● Apr. 13, 2025

Across the country that day, the ballots for year-end honors in Thoroughbred racing began arriving in journalists’ postboxes.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand