/ bɒks; NAmE bɑːks/ noun , verb
■ noun
CONTAINER
1.
[ C ] (especially in compounds) a container made of wood, cardboard, metal, etc. with a flat stiff base and sides and often a lid, used especially for holding solid things :
She kept all the letters in a box.
a money box
cardboard boxes
a toolbox
a matchbox
2.
[ C ] a box and its contents :
a box of chocolates / matches
IN THEATRE / COURT
3.
[ C ] a small area in a theatre or court separated off from where other people sit :
a box at the opera
the witness / jury box
SHELTER
4.
[ C ] a small shelter used for a particular purpose :
a sentry / signal box
( BrE )
a telephone box
I called him from the phone box on the corner.
SHAPE
5.
[ C ] a small square or rectangle drawn on a page for people to write information in :
Put a cross in the appropriate box.
to tick / check a box
TELEVISION
6.
the box [ sing. ] ( informal , especially BrE ) the television :
What's on the box tonight?
ON ROAD
7.
[ C ] ( BrE ) = box junction :
Only traffic turning right may enter the box.
IN SPORT
8.
[ C ] an area on a sports field that is marked by lines and used for a particular purpose :
( BrE )
He was fouled in the box (= the penalty box).
FOR MAIL
9.
[ C ] = box number
—see also PO box
PROTECTION
10.
[ C ] ( BrE ) a piece of plastic that a man wears over his sex organs to protect them while he is playing a sport, especially cricket
TREE / WOOD
11.
[ C , U ] a small evergreen tree or bush with thick dark leaves, used especially for garden hedges
12.
(also box·wood ) [ U ] the hard wood of this bush
•
IDIOMS
- give sb a box on the ears
—more at think verb , tick verb , trick noun
■ verb
FIGHT
1.
[ v , vn ] to fight sb in the sport of boxing
PUT IN CONTAINER
2.
[ vn ] box sth (up) to put sth in a box
•
IDIOMS
- box clever
- box sb's ears
•
PHRASAL VERBS
- box sb/sth in
••
WORD ORIGIN
noun senses 1 to 10 and verb sense 2 late Old English , probably from late Latin buxis , from Latin pyxis boxwood box, from Greek puxos .
verb sense 1 late Middle English (in the general sense a blow ): of unknown origin.
noun senses 11 to 12 Old English , via Latin from Greek puxos .