a container, case, or receptacle, usually rectangular, of wood, metal, cardboard, etc., and often with a lid or removable cover.
the quantity contained in a box: She bought a box of candy as a gift.
Chiefly British. a gift or present: a Christmas box.
post-office box.
a compartment or section in a public place, shut or railed off for the accommodation of a small number of people, especially in a theater, opera house, sports stadium, etc.
a small enclosure or area in a courtroom, for witnesses or the jury.
a small shelter: a sentry's box.
British.
a small house, cabin, or cottage, as for use while hunting: a shooting box.
a telephone booth.
a wardrobe trunk.
box stall.
the driver's seat on a coach.
the section of a wagon in which passengers or parcels are carried.
Automotive. the section of a truck in which cargo is carried.
the box,Informal. television: Are there any good shows on the box tonight?
part of a page of a newspaper or periodical set off in some manner, as by lines, a border, or white space.
any enclosing, protective case or housing, sometimes including its contents: a gear box; a fire-alarm box.
Baseball.
either of two marked spaces, one on each side of the plate, in which the batter stands.
either of two marked spaces, one outside of first base and the other outside of third, where the coaches stand.
the pitcher's mound.
the marked space where the catcher stands.
a difficult situation; predicament.
Agriculture. a bowl or pit cut in the side of a tree for collecting sap.
JazzSlang.
a stringed instrument, as a guitar.
a piano.
Informal.
a phonograph.
a boom box.
a computer.
Slang. a coffin.
Slang: Vulgar.
the vulva or vagina.
basket (def. 9).
verb (used with object)
to put into a box: She boxed the glassware before the movers came.
to enclose or confine as in a box (often followed by in or up).
to furnish with a box.
to form into a box or the shape of a box.
to block so as to keep from passing or achieving better position (often followed by in): The Ferrari was boxed in by two other cars on the tenth lap.
to group together for consideration as one unit: to box bills in the legislature.
Building Trades. to enclose or conceal (a building or structure) as with boarding.
Agriculture. to make a hole or cut in (a tree) for sap to collect.
to mix (paint, varnish, or the like) by pouring from one container to another and back again.
Australian.
to mix groups of sheep that should be kept separated.
to confuse someone or something.
Verb Phrases
box out,Basketball. to position oneself between an opposing player and the basket to hinder the opposing player from rebounding or tipping in a shot; block out.
Idioms for box
out of the box, AustralianSlang. remarkable or exceptional; extraordinary.
outside the box, Informal. in an innovative or unconventional manner; with a fresh perspective: You have to think outside the box and adapt those strategies to your business.Also out of the box .
Origin of box
1
First recorded before 1000; Middle English, Old English, probably from Late Latin buxis, a reshaping of Latin pyxis; see boîte, pyx
to strike with the hand or fist, especially on the ear.
verb (used without object)
to fight with the fists; participate in a boxing match; spar.
to be a professional or experienced prizefighter or boxer: He has boxed since he was 16.
noun
a blow, as with the hand or fist: He gave the boy a box on his ear.
Origin of box
2
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English box “a blow,” boxen “to beat,” of uncertain origin
Definition for box (3 of 4)
box3
[ boks ]
/ bɒks /
noun
an evergreen shrub or small tree of the genus Buxus, especially B. sempervirens, having shiny, elliptic, dark-green leaves, used for ornamental borders, hedges, etc., and yielding a hard, durable wood.
the wood itself.
any of various other shrubs or trees, especially species of eucalyptus.
Compare boxwood.
Origin of box
3
First recorded before 950; Middle English, Old English, from Latin buxus “boxwood,” from Greek pýxos
Definition for box (4 of 4)
box4
[ boks ]
/ bɒks /
verb (used with object)
Nautical. to boxhaul (often followed by off).
Meteorology. to fly around the center of a storm in a boxlike pattern in order to gather meteorological data: to box a storm.
Origin of box
4
First recorded in 1745–55; probably from Spanish bojar “to sail around,” earlier boxar, perhaps from Catalan vogir “to (cause to) turn,” ultimately derived from Latin volvere (see revolve); influenced by box1 (verb)
A very lightweight option at only one pound, the Pendaflex file box is by far the most easily transportable.
Great filing cabinets for your home office|PopSci Commerce Team|September 17, 2020|Popular Science
We don’t have to box ourselves in to our present limitations.
Dawn of the Heliocene - Issue 90: Something Green|Summer Praetorius|September 16, 2020|Nautilus
It’s thinking outside the box and using the current technology that we already have.
Malala Yousafzai tells the business community: Education is the best way to guard against future crises|Michal Lev-Ram, writer|September 15, 2020|Fortune
It also includes a USB-C to USB-C charging cable in the box.
Grab a recommended 90W charger for your phone, Switch, and laptop for $43|Ars Staff|September 11, 2020|Ars Technica
Variety reported that box office revenue in South Korea was down 30 to 40 percent in January 2020 compared to previous years.
How the coronavirus outbreak is roiling the film and entertainment industries|Alissa Wilkinson|September 11, 2020|Vox
In response to the screen quota cut, South Korea established a “cinema tax” on the box office.
Propaganda, Protest, and Poisonous Vipers: The Cinema War in Korea|Rich Goldstein|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
How to Train Your Dragon 2, the tenth highest grossing movie in 2014 America, made $22 million at the Korean box office.
Propaganda, Protest, and Poisonous Vipers: The Cinema War in Korea|Rich Goldstein|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There was real joy on his face doling out the cigars and giving some to his wife to pass out from the box.
The Life and Hard Times Of The Family A Cuban Defector Left Behind|Brin-Jonathan Butler|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Even the cashier realizes that they were trying to get away with $300 worth of box sets for $3.
The Insane $11 Billion Scam at Retailers’ Return Desks|M.L. Nestel|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But it goes wrong and the man shot--he's seated in a box--pitches forward and tumbles into the seats below.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Quickly, yet quietly, the three concealed themselves in a corner of the box car.
Secrets of the Andes|James H. Foster
He opened the hatchway while La Croix was profusely thanking him, put a sling around the box and lowered it.
The Bradys and the Girl Smuggler|Francis W. Doughty
Then Grandmother Wheeler went to her little storeroom and emerged bearing a box.
The Copy-Cat and Other Stories|Mary E. Wilkins Freeman
At last she put down the receiver and emerged from the box, with a strange look of despair upon her handsome countenance.
The Sign of Silence|William Le Queux
The wood is free from objectionable odor, and this qualifies it as box material.
American Forest Trees|Henry H. Gibson
British Dictionary definitions for box (1 of 3)
box1
/ (bɒks) /
noun
a receptacle or container made of wood, cardboard, etc, usually rectangular and having a removable or hinged lid
Also called: boxfulthe contents of such a receptacle or the amount it can containhe ate a whole box of chocolates
any of various containers for a specific purposea money box; letter box
(often in combination)any of various small cubicles, kiosks, or sheltersa telephone box or callbox; a sentry box; a signal box on a railway
a separate compartment in a public place for a small group of people, as in a theatre or certain restaurants
an enclosure within a courtroomSee jury box, witness box
a compartment for a horse in a stable or a vehicleSee loosebox, horsebox
Britisha small country house occupied by sportsmen when following a field sport, esp shooting
a protective housing for machinery or mechanical parts
the contents of such a box
(in combination)a gearbox
a shaped device of light tough material worn by sportsmen to protect the genitals, esp in cricket
a section of printed matter on a page, enclosed by lines, a border, or white space
a central agency to which mail is addressed and from which it is collected or redistributeda post-office box; to reply to a box number in a newspaper advertisement
the central part of a computer or the casing enclosing it
short for penalty box
baseballeither of the designated areas in which the batter may stand
the raised seat on which the driver sits in a horse-drawn coach
NZa wheeled container for transporting coal in a mine
Australian and NZan accidental mixing of herds or flocks
a hole cut into the base of a tree to collect the sap
short for Christmas box
a device for dividing water into two or more ditches in an irrigation system
an informal name for a coffin
taboo, slangthe female genitals
be a box of birdsNZto be very well indeed
the boxBritishinformaltelevision
think outside the boxorthink out of the boxto think in a different, innovative, or original manner, esp with regard to business practices, products, systems, etc
tick all the boxesto satisfy all of the apparent requirements for success
out of the boxAustralianinformaloutstanding or excellenta day out of the box
verb
(tr)to put into a box
(tr ; usually foll by in or up)to prevent from moving freely; confine
(tr foll by in) printingto enclose (text) within a ruled frame
(tr)to make a cut in the base of (a tree) in order to collect the sap
(tr)Australian and NZto mix (flocks or herds) accidentally
(tr sometimes foll by up) NZto confuseI am all boxed up
nautical short for boxhaul
box the compassnauticalto name the compass points in order
Derived forms of box
boxlike, adjective
Word Origin for box
Old English box, from Latin buxus from Greek puxosbox ³
British Dictionary definitions for box (2 of 3)
box2
/ (bɒks) /
verb
(tr)to fight (an opponent) in a boxing match
(intr)to engage in boxing
(tr)to hit (a person) with the fist; punch or cuff
box cleverto behave in a careful and cunning way
noun
a punch with the fist, esp on the ear
Word Origin for box
C14: of uncertain origin; perhaps related to Dutch boken to shunt, push into position
British Dictionary definitions for box (3 of 3)
box3
/ (bɒks) /
noun
a dense slow-growing evergreen tree or shrub of the genus Buxus, esp B. sempervirens, which has small shiny leaves and is used for hedges, borders, and garden mazes: family Buxaceae
the wood of this treeSee boxwood (def. 1)
any of several trees the timber or foliage of which resembles this tree, esp various species of Eucalyptus with rough bark