shoebox

American  

[shoo-boks] / ˈʃuˌbɒks /

Or shoe box

noun

1. an oblong cardboard box of a standard size used to package a pair of shoes for sale.

2. any house, building, or other construction likened to a shoebox because of its shape or cramped area.

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Etymology

Origin of shoebox

First recorded in 1855–60; shoe + box ¹

Example Sentences

Imagine the Los Angeles sports landscape in a shoebox, with most of it focused in the downtown area with the Lakers and the Dodgers.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 12, 2026

The shoebox of football cards, the smell of my old hockey equipment, the sound of the desk safe where I kept my silver dollars all transport me back decades.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 8, 2025

The statement also mentioned a decade-old report which said that the relics were left forgotten in a shoebox, suggesting that custodianship also included "safe upkeep".

From BBC • May 6, 2025

He managed to snatch a shoebox of greeting cards and his two Chihuahuas, before climbing out his bedroom window.

From New York Times • Jan. 23, 2024

There is one squished shoebox full of photos that my mom guards, and cries over when she thinks we’re asleep.

From "Everything Sad Is Untrue" by Daniel Nayeri