mailbox

noun

mail·​box ˈmāl-ˌbäks 

1

: a box at or near a dwelling for the occupant's mail

2

: a public box for deposit of outgoing mail

3

: a computer file in which email is collected

Examples of mailbox in a Sentence

On the way to work, I dropped my letters in the corner mailbox.

She checked her mailbox daily, hoping for a letter from her son.

Recent Examples on the Web

Meanwhile, American consumers still wait days for transactions to clear, and contractors wait by the mailbox. —Penny Lee, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025

Look for the Kindred Spirit mailbox, where beachgoers can leave a thoughtful note. —Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 9 Sep. 2025

After some initial snags—customers receiving duplicate cards, criminals snatching unclaimed ones out of mailboxes—the cards began to turn a profit. —Michael Waters, The Atlantic, 9 Sep. 2025

What started in everyone's mailbox is now the go-to spot for movie night. —Emy Lacroix, PEOPLE, 8 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1868, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for mailbox

• botox
• checkbox
• comox
• cornstalks
• cowpox
• crosswalks
• deadlocks
• detox
• feedstocks
• firebox
• gearbox
• hemlocks

Kids Definition

mailbox

noun

mail·​box ˈmā(ə)l-ˌbäks 

1

: a public box in which to place outgoing mail

2

: a private box (as on a house) for the delivery of incoming mail

3

: a computer file in which email is collected