box
[noun]
Synonyms:
- container, carton, case, casket, chest, pack, package, receptacle, trunk
[verb]
Synonyms:
- pack, package, wrap
————————
[verb]
fight, exchange blows, spar

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. box¹ S1 W1 /bɒks $ bɑːks/ noun
[Date: 900-1000; Language: Latin; Origin: buxus, from Greek pyxis, from pyxos type of tree, whose wood was used for making boxes]

1. CONTAINER [countable] a container for putting things in, especially one with four stiff straight sides
cardboard/wooden/plastic etc box
a strong cardboard box
toolbox/shoebox/matchbox etc (=a box used for keeping tools etc in)

2. AMOUNT (also boxful) [countable] the amount of something contained in a box
box of
a box of chocolates

3. SHAPE [countable]
a) a small square on a page for people to write information in:
Put an ‘X’ in the box if you would like to join our mailing list.
b) a square or rectangle on a page where information is given or where an answer can be written:
The box on the left gives a short history of the battle.

4. IN A COURT/THEATRE ETC [countable] a small area of a theatre or court that is separate from where other people are sitting:
the jury box

5. SMALL BUILDING [countable] a small building or structure used for a particular purpose Synonym : booth:
a sentry box
telephone box British English

6. AT A POST OFFICE box 25/450 etc a box with a number in a post office, where you can have letters etc sent instead of to your own address Synonym : PO Box

7. SPORTS FIELD [countable usually singular] a special area of a sports field that is marked by lines and used for a particular purpose:
the penalty box

8. PROTECTION [countable] British English a piece of plastic that a man wears over his sex organs to protect them when he is playing a sport, especially cricket

9. TREE [uncountable and countable] a small tree that keeps its leaves in winter and is often planted around the edge of a garden or field:
a box hedge

10. TELEVISION the box informal the television:
What’s on the box tonight?

11. be out of your box British English informal to be very drunk or have taken an illegal drug
⇒ black box

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. box² verb
[Sense 1,4: Date: 1300-1400; Origin: Origin unknown. ]
[Sense 2-3: Date: 1400-1500; Origin: ⇒ box¹]

1. [intransitive and transitive] to fight someone as a sport by hitting them with your closed hands inside big leather gloves

2. (also box up) [transitive] to put things in boxes:
Help me box up the Christmas tree lights. ⇒ boxed

3. [transitive] to draw a box around something on a page

4. box sb’s ears old-fashioned to hit someone on the side of their head
box somebody/something ↔ in phrasal verb

1. to surround someone or something so that they are unable to move freely:
Someone had parked right behind them, boxing them in.

2. feel boxed in
a) to feel that you cannot do what you want to do because a person or situation is limiting you:
Married for only a year, Connie already felt boxed in.
b) to feel that you cannot move freely, because you are in a small space
box something ↔ off phrasal verb
to separate a particular area from a larger one by putting walls around it:
We’re going to box off that corner to get extra storage space.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

box
noun
I. container
ADJ. oblong, rectangular, square | upturned They were sitting round the fire on upturned boxes. | cardboard | storage | chocolate, cigar, egg | jewel/jewellery, shoe, tool (also toolbox) | cassette, CD, video | gift | lunch, sandwich | first-aid | (safe/safety) deposit, security There is a safety deposit box in every room of the hotel.
cash, money The cash box was kept in the safe at the back of the shop. She opened her money box to see if she had saved enough for a tennis racket.
collection, donation The exhibition is free, but there is a collection box for donations.
QUANT. pile, stack
VERB + BOX fill, pack She filled the box with old clothes.
pack sth in/into, put sth in/into, put sth away in, store sth in We packed all the books into boxes.
remove sth from, take sth out of | empty, unpack | open | close, shut | lock
BOX + VERB contain sth, be filled with/full of sth, hold sth This box holds ten candles and costs £21.
be labelled sth, be marked sth a box marked ‘fragile’
be covered in/with sth, be lined with sth The dog sleeps in a box lined with an old blanket.
PREP. in/into a/the ~, inside a/the ~, out of a/the ~ | ~ of a box of chocolates
PHRASES the lid of a box

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

box
II. enclosed area
ADJ. soundproof | call, phone, telephone | jury, witness | commentary, press There was a babble of languages in the commentary box when the race began.
director's, executive, hospitality They drank champagne as they watched the match from the executive box.
private, Royal a private box at the theatre | signal | horse (also horsebox) The car in front was pulling a horsebox.
PREP. in/into a/the ~

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

box
III. square on a form/screen
ADJ. appropriate, relevant Tick the relevant box below.
dialog/dialogue Click on ‘open file’ in the dialogue box.
question
VERB + BOX fill in, put sth in, tick, write (sth) in Put a cross in the box if you agree with the comments.
PREP. in/into a/the ~

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

box

a cardboard/wooden/plastic box
We packed all our things into big cardboard boxes.
a storage box (=for storing things in)
Plastic storage boxes are useful for putting things in the attic.
a toolbox
The hammer’s in the tool box.
a shoebox (=that you buy shoes in)
She used to keep photographs in old shoe boxes.
a sandwich/lunch box
Most of the kids bring lunch boxes to school.
a jewellery box British English, a jewelry box American English
A jewellery box had gone missing.
a money box (=that children save money in)
How much have you got in your money box?
a cash box (=for keeping a supply of money in, for example in a shop)
Thieves stole £100 from a cash box at the school.
a pile/stack of boxes
There was a pile of boxes in the street outside the house.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

box
̈ɪbɔks
See: in a bind or in a box , penalty box , press box , stuff the ballot box , voice box

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲