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.

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post office box British  

noun

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

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• post office boxes
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of post office box

An Americanism dating back to 1825–35

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

post office box

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

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026

For years, it was a post office box in Draper, Utah.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026

Residents will keep their post office box numbers and continue to pick up mail at the post office.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 22, 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

But months later, when I had become a civilian and Delacruz had become an inmate at a medium-security prison, I wrote him a letter, with my post office box as a return address.

From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover

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