box.
Senses relating to a three-dimensional object or space.
Meaning & usage
Senses relating to a three-dimensional object or space. A cuboid space; a cuboid container, often with a hinged lid.
Senses relating to a three-dimensional object or space. A cuboid container and its contents; as much as fills such a container.
a box of books
Senses relating to a three-dimensional object or space. A compartment (as a drawer) of an item of furniture used for storage, such as a cupboard, a shelf, etc.
Senses relating to a three-dimensional object or space. A compartment or receptacle for receiving items.
post box post office box
Senses relating to a three-dimensional object or space. A compartment or receptacle for receiving items. A numbered receptacle at a newspaper office for anonymous replies to advertisements; see also box number.
Senses relating to a three-dimensional object or space. A compartment to sit inside in an auditorium, courtroom, theatre, or other building.
Senses relating to a three-dimensional object or space. The driver’s seat on a horse-drawn coach.
Senses relating to a three-dimensional object or space. A small rectangular shelter.
sentry-box
Senses relating to a three-dimensional object or space. Ellipsis of horsebox (“container for transporting horses”).
Senses relating to a three-dimensional object or space. Ellipsis of gearbox.
Senses relating to a three-dimensional object or space. Ellipsis of stashbox.
Senses relating to a three-dimensional object or space. Ellipsis of signal box.
Senses relating to a three-dimensional object or space. A predicament or trap.
I’m really in a box now.
Senses relating to a three-dimensional object or space. A prison cell.
Senses relating to a three-dimensional object or space. A prison cell. A cell used for solitary confinement.
Senses relating to a three-dimensional object or space. A coffin.
Senses relating to a three-dimensional object or space. The television.
Senses relating to a three-dimensional object or space. The vagina.
Senses relating to a three-dimensional object or space. A computer, or the case in which it is housed.
a UNIX box
Senses relating to a three-dimensional object or space. A gym dedicated to the CrossFit exercise program.
Senses relating to a three-dimensional object or space. A hard protector for the genitals worn inside the underpants by a batsman or close fielder.
Senses relating to a three-dimensional object or space. Synonym of gully (“a certain fielding position”).
Senses relating to a three-dimensional object or space. A cylindrical casing around the axle of a wheel, a bearing, a gland, etc.
Senses relating to a three-dimensional object or space. A device used in electric fencing to detect whether a weapon has struck an opponent, which connects to a fencer's weapon by a spool and body wire. It uses lights and sound to notify a hit, with different coloured lights for on target and off target hits.
Senses relating to a three-dimensional object or space. A small country house.
Senses relating to a three-dimensional object or space. A stringed instrument with a soundbox, especially a guitar.
Senses relating to a three-dimensional object or space. Short for squeeze box (“accordion or concertina”)
Senses relating to a two-dimensional object or space A rectangle: an oblong or a square.
Place a tick in the box.
This text would stand out better if we put it in a coloured box.
Senses relating to a two-dimensional object or space The rectangle in which the batter stands.
Senses relating to a two-dimensional object or space One of two specific regions in a promoter.
Senses relating to a two-dimensional object or space A pattern usually performed with three balls where the movements of the balls make a boxlike shape.
Senses relating to a two-dimensional object or space Ellipsis of box lacrosse (“indoor form of lacrosse”).
Senses relating to a two-dimensional object or space The penalty area.
Senses relating to a two-dimensional object or space A diamond-shaped flying formation consisting of four aircraft.
Senses relating to a two-dimensional object or space An area in the pit where the car is repaired and refueled.
A rectangular object in any number of dimensions.
Where this word comes from
Etymology tree Ancient Greek πῠ́ξος (pŭ́xos) Ancient Greek -ῐς (-ĭs) Ancient Greek πυξίς (puxís)bor. Late Latin buxisbor. Proto-West Germanic *buhsā Old English box Middle English box English box From Middle English box (“container, box, cup”), from Old English box (“box, case”), from Proto-West Germanic *buhsā (“box”) from Late Latin buxis (“box”), Latin pyxis (“small box for medicines or toiletries”), of uncertain origin; compare Ancient Greek πυξίς (puxís, “box or tablet made of boxwood; box; cylinder”) and πύξος (púxos, “box tree; boxwood”). Doublet of piseog, pyx, and pyxis. Cognate with Middle Dutch bosse, busse (“jar; tin; round box”) (modern Dutch bos (“wood, forest”), bus (“container, box; bushing of a wheel”)), Old High German buhsa (Middle High German buhse, bühse, modern German Büchse (“box; can”)), Swedish bössa (“box”). The humorous plural form boxen is from box + -en, by analogy with oxen. (motor racing): Used since it is more distinct over the radio compared to pit. Also from German Boxenstopp (“pit stop”).
To place inside a box; to pack in one or more boxes.
Usually followed by in: to surround and enclose in a way that restricts movement; to corner, to hem in.
To mix two containers of paint of similar colour to ensure that the color is identical.
To make an incision or hole in (a tree) for the purpose of procuring the sap.
To enclose with boarding, lathing, etc., so as to conceal (for example, pipes) or to bring to a required form.
To furnish (for example, the axle of a wheel) with a box.
To enclose (images, text, etc.) in a box.
To place a value of a primitive type into a casing object.
To enter the pit.
Where this word comes from
Etymology tree Ancient Greek πῠ́ξος (pŭ́xos) Ancient Greek -ῐς (-ĭs) Ancient Greek πυξίς (puxís)bor. Late Latin buxisbor. Proto-West Germanic *buhsā Old English box Middle English box English box From Middle English box (“container, box, cup”), from Old English box (“box, case”), from Proto-West Germanic *buhsā (“box”) from Late Latin buxis (“box”), Latin pyxis (“small box for medicines or toiletries”), of uncertain origin; compare Ancient Greek πυξίς (puxís, “box or tablet made of boxwood; box; cylinder”) and πύξος (púxos, “box tree; boxwood”). Doublet of piseog, pyx, and pyxis. Cognate with Middle Dutch bosse, busse (“jar; tin; round box”) (modern Dutch bos (“wood, forest”), bus (“container, box; bushing of a wheel”)), Old High German buhsa (Middle High German buhse, bühse, modern German Büchse (“box; can”)), Swedish bössa (“box”). The humorous plural form boxen is from box + -en, by analogy with oxen. (motor racing): Used since it is more distinct over the radio compared to pit. Also from German Boxenstopp (“pit stop”).
Any of various evergreen shrubs or trees of genus Buxus, especially common box, European box, or boxwood (Buxus sempervirens) which is often used for making hedges and topiary.
The wood from a box tree: boxwood.
A musical instrument, especially one made from boxwood.
An evergreen tree of the genus Lophostemon (for example, box scrub, Brisbane box, brush box, pink box, or Queensland box, Lophostemon confertus).
Various species of Eucalyptus trees are popularly called various kinds of boxes, on the basis of the nature of their wood, bark, or appearance for example, drooping box (Eucalyptus bicolor), shiny-leaved box (Eucalyptus tereticornis), black box, or ironbark box trees.
Where this word comes from
Etymology tree Latin buxusbor. Proto-West Germanic *buhs Old English box Middle English box English box From Middle English box (“box tree; boxwood”), from Old English box (“box tree”), from Proto-West Germanic *buhs (“box tree; thing made from boxwood”), from Latin buxus (“box tree; thing made from boxwood”), buxum (“box tree; boxwood”), possibly from πύξος (púxos, “box tree; boxwood”).
A blow with the fist.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English box (“a blow; a stroke with a weapon”); further origin uncertain, with relation to Proto-Germanic *boki-, whence Danish bask (“a blow; a stripe”), Danish baske (“to flap, move around, beat violently”), Middle Dutch boke (“a blow, a hit”), bōken (“to slap, strike”) (modern Dutch beuken (“to slap”)), West Frisian bûkje, bûtse, bûtsje (“to slap”), West Frisian and Saterland Frisian batsje (“to slap”), Low German betschen (“to slap, beat with a flat hand”), Middle High German buc (“a blow, a stroke”), bochen (“to slap, strike”), and further onomatopoeic shaping. The verb is from Middle English boxen (“to beat or whip (an animal)”), which is derived from the noun.
To strike with the fists; to punch.
to box someone’s ears
Leave this place before I box you!
To fight against (a person) in a boxing match.
To participate in boxing; to be a boxer.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English box (“a blow; a stroke with a weapon”); further origin uncertain, with relation to Proto-Germanic *boki-, whence Danish bask (“a blow; a stripe”), Danish baske (“to flap, move around, beat violently”), Middle Dutch boke (“a blow, a hit”), bōken (“to slap, strike”) (modern Dutch beuken (“to slap”)), West Frisian bûkje, bûtse, bûtsje (“to slap”), West Frisian and Saterland Frisian batsje (“to slap”), Low German betschen (“to slap, beat with a flat hand”), Middle High German buc (“a blow, a stroke”), bochen (“to slap, strike”), and further onomatopoeic shaping. The verb is from Middle English boxen (“to beat or whip (an animal)”), which is derived from the noun.
A Mediterranean food fish of the genus Boops, which is a variety of sea bream; a bogue or oxeye.
Where this word comes from
From Latin bōx, from Ancient Greek βῶξ (bôx, “box (marine fish)”), from βοῦς (boûs, “ox”) + ὤψ (ṓps, “eye, view”), a reference to the large size of the fish's eyes relative to its body.
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.