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postbox

American  
[pohst-boks] / ˈpoʊstˌbɒks /

noun

Chiefly British.

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

postbox British  
/ ˈpəʊstˌbɒks /

noun

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

"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 postbox

First recorded in 1745–55; post 3 + 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.

June Sheridan didn't realise the postbox was there and ended up taking her small parcel into the shop.

From BBC • Jan. 31, 2026

Royal Mail has also trialled a new postbox that can take small parcels.

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

We make a huge Valentine’s Day postbox out of a cardboard box covered with pink crepe paper and red hearts with paper doily edging.

From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.