box

box is part of the Basic English 850.

Pronunciation

• (UK)
  • IPA: /bɒks/
  • SAMPA: /bQks/
• (US)
  • enPR: bäks
  • IPA: /bɑːks/
  • SAMPA: /bA:ks/
•  Audio (US)^{help, file}

Noun

Singular box

Plural boxes

A box

1. (countable) A box is a square container, usually with four sides, a top and a bottom.

   We had big cardboard boxes filled with the stuff.

   I gave my seat to an old woman with a chicken in a wooden box.

   It was always fun to open my lunch box and see what my mom had packed.

   Jack Ferguson found a box containing his son's personal papers,

   After the party, there were empty pizza boxes everywhere.

   UPS had delivered a stack of boxes.

2. (countable) A box is a container.

   The address was a local post office box, not a physical address.

   My cell phone was in the glove box of the car.

3. (countable) A box is a square area with lines around it in a magazine, book, or computer screen.

   It's especially important to speak to your doctor if you belong to this group (see box on page 118).

   Right-click in any Explorer window or any Open or Save dialog box.

4. (countable) A box is an electronic device such as a television, radio, or computer.

   We'd brought a boom box out back and played the only radio station that came in.

   More TVs get connected to the Internet, either directly or through set-top boxes.

Related words

• bento box
• black box
• blue box
• beatbox
• firebox / fire-box
• box office / box-office
• box spring / box-spring
• boxcar / box-car
• juicebox
• jukebox
• skybox
• icebox
• carboard box
• boxful
• box jellyfish
• dialog box
• voice box
• penalty box
• musical box
• telephone box
• text box / textbox
• suggestion box
• fusebox / fuse-box
• first-aid box

Verb

Plain form box

Third-person singular boxes

Past tense boxed

Past participle boxed

Present participle boxing

1. (transitive & intransitive) If you box, you fight someone for sport by punching them.
2. (transitive) If you box something (up), you put it in a box.

   He boxed his old belongings up.

3. (transitive) If you box something on a page, you draw a square around it.