box
A container with flat sides used to hold things.
The word box has several common meanings:
- A container with flat sides and usually a lid, used for storing or carrying things. You might keep your baseball cards in a shoebox, pack a moving box with books, or receive a birthday present wrapped in a decorated box. Boxes come in countless sizes and materials: cardboard boxes for shipping, wooden boxes for tools, metal boxes for valuables. When you box something up, you're putting it into a box for storage or transport.
- A sport where two people wearing padded gloves fight according to strict rules in a square ring. Professional boxers train for years to master punching techniques, footwork, and defense. A boxer fights in specific weight classes to ensure fair matches. The sport is also called boxing, and despite the name, the ring where boxers fight is actually square.
- A small enclosed area or compartment. At a theater, a box is a private seating area. On a form, you fill in boxes with your information. A jury sits in the jury box during a trial. Baseball players wait in the batter's box before their turn to hit.
- To fight with your fists, or to pack things into containers. You might box your old toys to donate them, or learn to box at a gym.