box (boxes plural & 3rd person present) (boxing present participle) (boxed past tense & past participle )
1 n-count A box is a square or rectangular container with hard or stiff sides. Boxes often have lids.
He reached into the cardboard box beside him..., They sat on wooden boxes., ...the box of tissues on her desk.
A boxof something is an amount of it contained in a box., n-count usu N of n
She ate two boxes of liqueurs.
2 n-count A box is a square or rectangle that is printed or drawn on a piece of paper, a road, or on some other surface.
usu with supp
3 n-sing In football, the box is the penalty area of the field.
the N
He scored from the penalty spot after being brought down in the box.
4 n-count A box is a small separate area in a theatre or at a sports ground or stadium, where a small number of people can sit to watch the performance or game.
5 n-sing Television is sometimes referred to as the box.
(BRIT)
INFORMAL the N
(=telly)
Do you watch it live at all or do you watch it on the box?
6 n-count Box is used before a number as a postal address by organizations that receive a lot of mail.
with supp, usu N num
...Country Crafts, Box 111, Landisville.
7 n-uncount Box is a small evergreen tree with dark leaves which is often used to form hedges.
oft N n
...box hedges.
8 verb To box means to fight someone according to the rules of boxing.
At school I boxed and played rugby... V
The two fighters had previously boxed a 12-round match. V n, Also V as n
9
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boxed
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boxing
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black box
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chocolate-box
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lunch box
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phone box
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post office box
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postbox
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sentry box
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signal box
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telephone box box in
1 phrasal verb If you are boxed in, you are unable to move from a particular place because you are surrounded by other people or cars.
(=hem in)
Armstrong was boxed in with 300 metres to go... V-ed P
The black cabs cut in front of them, trying to box them in. V n P
2 phrasal verb If something boxes you in, it puts you in a situation where you have very little choice about what you can do. Part of winning a mandate is having clear goals and not boxing yourself in... V n P We are not trying to box anybody in, we are trying to find a satisfactory way forward. V P n (not pron)
boxed in adj usu v-link ADJ The Chancellor is boxed in by inflation targets and sterling.
ballot box (ballot boxes plural )
1 n-count A ballot box is the box into which ballot papers are put after people have voted.
2 n-sing You can refer to the system of democratic elections as theballot box.
the N
Martinez expressed confidence of victory at the ballot box.
black box (black boxes plural )
1 n-count A black box is an electronic device in an aircraft which records information about its flights. Black boxes are often used to provide evidence about accidents.
2 n-count You can refer to a system or device as a black box when you know that it produces a particular result but you have no understanding of how it works.
usu sing
They were part of the black box associated with high-flyer management development.
boom box (boom boxes plural )A boom box is a large portable machine for playing music, especially one that is played loudly in public by young people.
(mainly AM)
INFORMAL n-count
in BRIT, use ghetto-blaster
box lunch (box lunches plural )A box lunch is food, for example sandwiches, which you take to work, to school, or on a trip and eat as your lunch.
(AM) n-count
in BRIT, use packed lunch
box number (box numbers plural )A box number is a number used as an address, for example one given by a newspaper for replies to a private advertisement, or one used by an organization for the letters sent to it. n-count
box office (box offices plural ), box-office
1 n-count The box office in a theatre, cinema, or concert hall is the place where the tickets are sold.
2 n-sing When people talk about thebox office, they are referring to the degree of success of a film or play in terms of the number of people who go to watch it or the amount of money it makes.
usu the N, N n
The film has taken £180 million at the box office..., The film was a huge box-office success.
call box (call boxes plural ), call-box
1 n-count A call box is the same as a telephone box.
(BRIT)
2 n-count A call box is a telephone in a box or case, often on a pole, that is at the side of a road and that you can use in emergencies.
(mainly AM)
chocolate-box , chocolate box
Chocolate-box places or images are very pretty but in a boring or conventional way.
(BRIT) adj ADJ n
...a village of chocolate-box timbered houses.
collection box (collection boxes plural )A collection box is a box or tin that is used to collect money for charity.
(AM) n-count
dialog box (dialog boxes plural )A dialog box is a small area containing information or questions that appears on a computer screen when you are performing particular operations. (COMPUTING) n-count
fuse box (fuse boxes plural )Thefuse box is the box that contains the fuses for all the electric circuits in a building. It is usually fixed to a wall. n-count oft the N in sing
idiot box
Theidiot box is the television.
(mainly BRIT)
INFORMAL n-sing the N
in AM, use boob tube
jack-in-the-box (jack-in-the-boxes plural )A jack-in-the-box is a child's toy that consists of a box with a doll inside it that jumps out when the lid is opened. n-count
lunch box (lunch boxes plural ), lunchbox A lunch box is a small container with a lid. You put food such as sandwiches in it to eat for lunch at work or at school. n-count
money box (money boxes plural )A money box is a small box with an opening at the top, into which a child puts coins as a way of saving money.
(mainly BRIT) n-count
musical box (musical boxes plural )A musical box is the same as a music box.
(BRIT) n-count
music box (music boxes plural )A music box is a box that plays a tune when you open the lid. n-count
(=musical box)
packing box (packing boxes plural )A packing box is the same as a packing case.
(mainly AM) n-count
penalty box (penalty boxes plural )
1 n-count In football, the penalty box is the same as the penalty area.
(mainly BRIT) usu the N in sing
2 n-count In ice hockey, the penalty box is an area in which players who have broken a rule have to sit for a period of time.
phone box (phone boxes plural )A phone box is a small shelter in the street in which there is a public telephone.
(BRIT) n-count
in AM, use phone booth
pillar box (pillar boxes plural ), pillar-box In Britain, a pillar box is a tall red box in the street in which you put letters that you are sending by post.
(BRIT) n-count
in AM, use mailbox
PO Box , P.O. Box PO Box is used before a number as a kind of address. The Post Office keeps letters addressed to the PO Box until they are collected by the person who has paid for the service.
post office box (post office boxes plural )A post office box is a numbered box in a post office where a person's mail is kept for them until they come to collect it. n-count
(=PO Box)
press box (press boxes plural )Thepress box at a sports ground is a room or area which is reserved for journalists to watch sporting events. n-count usu the N in sing
safe deposit box (safe deposit boxes plural )A safe deposit box is a small box, usually kept in a special room in a bank, in which you can store valuable objects. n-count
sentry box (sentry boxes plural ), sentry-box A sentry box is a narrow shelter with an open front in which a sentry can stand while on duty. n-count
set-top box (set-top boxes plural )A set-top box is a piece of equipment that rests on top of your television and receives digital television signals. n-count
signal box (signal boxes plural )A signal box is a small building near a railway, which contains the switches used to control the signals. n-count
six-yard box
On a football pitch, thesix-yard box is the rectangular area marked in front of the goal. n-sing the N
telephone box (telephone boxes plural )A telephone box is a small shelter in the street in which there is a public telephone.
(BRIT) n-count
(=phone box, call box)
in AM, use phone booth
tool box (tool boxes plural )A tool box is a metal or plastic box which contains general tools that you need at home, for example to do repairs in your house or car. n-count
voice box (voice boxes plural )Your voice box is the top part of the tube that leads from your throat to your lungs, which contains your vocal cords. n-count
(=larynx)
window box (window boxes plural )A window box is a long narrow container on a shelf at the bottom of a window and is used for growing plants. n-count
witness box
The witness box in a court of law is the place where people stand or sit when they are giving evidence.
(BRIT) n-sing the N
in AM, use witness stand
