box

[ boks ]

/ bɒks /

noun

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.

Jazz Slang.

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, Australian Slang. 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

before 1000; Middle English, Old English, probably < Late Latin buxis, a reshaping of Latin pyxis; see boîte

OTHER WORDS FROM box

box·like, adjective

Words nearby box

bowtel, bowwood, bowwow, bowyangs, bowyer, box, box beam, box bed, box bolt, box calf, box camera

Definition for box (2 of 4)

box ²

[ boks ]

/ bɒks /

noun

a blow, as with the hand or fist: He gave the boy a box on his ear.

verb (used with object)

to strike with the hand or fist, especially on the ear.

to fight against (someone) in a boxing match.

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.

Origin of box

1300–50; Middle English box a blow, boxen to beat, of uncertain origin

Definition for box (3 of 4)

box ³

[ 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

before 950; Middle English, Old English < Latin buxus boxwood < Greek pýxos

Definition for box (4 of 4)

box ⁴

[ 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

1745–55; probably < Spanish bojar to sail around, earlier boxar, perhaps < Catalan vogir to (cause to) turn ≪ Latin volvere (see revolve); influenced by box¹

Example sentences from the Web for box

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)

box ¹

/ (bɒks) /

noun

a receptacle or container made of wood, cardboard, etc, usually rectangular and having a removable or hinged lid

Also called: boxful the contents of such a receptacle or the amount it can contain he ate a whole box of chocolates

any of various containers for a specific purpose a money box; letter box

(often in combination) any of various small cubicles, kiosks, or shelters a 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 courtroom See jury box, witness box

a compartment for a horse in a stable or a vehicle See loosebox, horsebox

British a 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 redistributed a 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

baseball either of the designated areas in which the batter may stand

the raised seat on which the driver sits in a horse-drawn coach

NZ a wheeled container for transporting coal in a mine

Australian and NZ an 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, slang the female genitals

be a box of birds NZ to be very well indeed

the box British informal television

think outside the box or think out of the box to think in a different, innovative, or original manner, esp with regard to business practices, products, systems, etc

tick all the boxes to satisfy all of the apparent requirements for success

out of the box Australian informal outstanding or excellent a 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) printing to 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 NZ to mix (flocks or herds) accidentally

(tr sometimes foll by up) NZ to confuse I am all boxed up

nautical short for boxhaul

box the compass nautical to name the compass points in order

Derived forms of box

boxlike, adjective

Word Origin for box

Old English box, from Latin buxus from Greek puxos box ³

British Dictionary definitions for box (2 of 3)

box ²

/ (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 clever to 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)

box ³

/ (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 tree See boxwood (def. 1)

any of several trees the timber or foliage of which resembles this tree, esp various species of Eucalyptus with rough bark

Word Origin for box

Old English, from Latin buxus

Idioms and Phrases with box

box

In addition to the idioms beginning with box

box office
box score
box the compass

also see:

in a bind (box)
on one's soapbox
pandora's box
stuff the ballot box

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

box

noun

verb (used with object)

Verb Phrases

Idioms for box

Origin of box

OTHER WORDS FROM box

Words nearby box

Definition for box (2 of 4)

noun

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

Origin of box

Definition for box (3 of 4)

noun

Origin of box

Definition for box (4 of 4)

verb (used with object)

Origin of box

Example sentences from the Web for box

British Dictionary definitions for box (1 of 3)

noun

verb

Derived forms of box

Word Origin for box

British Dictionary definitions for box (2 of 3)

verb

noun

Word Origin for box

British Dictionary definitions for box (3 of 3)

noun

Word Origin for box

Idioms and Phrases with box

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

box

noun

verb (used with object)

Verb Phrases

Idioms for box

Origin of box

OTHER WORDS FROM box

Words nearby box

Definition for box (2 of 4)

noun

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

Origin of box

Definition for box (3 of 4)

noun

Origin of box

Definition for box (4 of 4)

verb (used with object)

Origin of box

Words related to box

Example sentences from the Web for box

British Dictionary definitions for box (1 of 3)

noun

verb

Derived forms of box

Word Origin for box

British Dictionary definitions for box (2 of 3)

verb

noun

Word Origin for box

British Dictionary definitions for box (3 of 3)

noun

Word Origin for box

Idioms and Phrases with box