post office box

American  

[pohst-aw-fis boks, of-is] / ˈpoʊstˌɔ fɪs ˌbɒks, ˌɒf ɪs /

Also P.O. box or post-office box

noun

• post office boxes
  plural

1. a small, locked compartment, usually in a post office, into which the mail of a box renter is put to be called for. POB, P.O.B.

---

post office box British  

noun

1. a private numbered place in a post office, in which letters received are kept until called for

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• post office boxes
  plural

---

Etymology

Origin of post office box

An Americanism dating back to 1825–35

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

post office box

A post office box or mail-receiving agency does not qualify.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026

Residents will retain their post office box numbers and continue picking up parcels downtown.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026

By late 2025, StubHub changed the address again, this time using its old Draper post office box number with an Atlanta ZIP Code.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026

Voting by mail also presents a challenge because many reservation residents do not receive mail service at their home addresses and may use a shared post office box.

From Salon ● Oct. 14, 2024

I also opened a bank account, rented a post office box, and bought a plastic bowl and a spoon at Woolworth’s, a store whose name I recognized from London.

From "Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---