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

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

I scooped my jewelry into a shoebox with my passport.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 28, 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

She pulls out a ten-dollar bill and lays it on top of the shoebox.

From "Thirteen Reasons Why" by Jay Asher