shadowbox

[ shad-oh-boks ]

/ ˈʃæd oʊˌbɒks /

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verb (used without object)

to make the motions of attack and defense, as in boxing, as a training or conditioning procedure.

to evade or avoid direct or decisive action.

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Origin of shadowbox

First recorded in 1915–20; shadow + box²

Words nearby shadowbox

shadkhan, shadoof, shadow, shadow ban, shadow bands, shadowbox, shadow cabinet, shadow dance, shadow docket, shadowed, shadowgraph

Other definitions for shadowbox (2 of 2)

shadow box

noun

a shallow, rectangular frame fronted with a glass panel, used to show and at the same time protect items on display, as paintings, coins, or jewelry.

Also called shadow box frame .

Origin of shadow box

First recorded in 1905–10

How to use shadowbox in a sentence

There’s a shadowbox-like window by the front door, where I’d hung a colorful garland of star ornaments at the start of Ramadan in April.
Finding the American Dream in Canada|Sofia Ali-Khan|July 4, 2022|Time
Around this time, Tyson would smoke weed with his friends and watch them shadowbox.
Mike Tyson Opens Up About His Rape Conviction, Brad Pitt, and Love of Pinkberry|Marlow Stern|November 6, 2013|DAILY BEAST

British Dictionary definitions for shadowbox

shadow-box

verb (intr)

boxing to practise blows and footwork against an imaginary opponent

to act or speak unconvincingly, without saying what one means, etche's just shadow-boxing

Derived forms of shadow-box

shadow-boxing, noun

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