box
- noun
- /bɑks/
- Informal
- Mary gave him a box on the ear for being rude.
Examples
-
After losing the argument, he received a swift box from his brother.
-
In the playful sparring match, she delivered a light box on his cheek.
-
Face creased with anger, he hurls the box at Lemarchand's face.
Fiction book (1996) -
The fighters wear protective head and groin gear and box with 16-ounce gloves, and each bout consists of three one-minute rounds.
Fiction book (2002)
Synonyms
A strong hit from a fist or weapon
A very hard hit with the fist
A quick sharp hit, often with the hand
Idioms
- Offensive
A person who is not very quick to understand things
Compounds
- Specialized
A device on an airplane that records flight information and pilot voices
- Literature
An area in a stadium or arena where reporters and broadcasters sit to report the game
- Specialized
A system whose inner parts are hidden so you only see what goes in and what comes out
- UK
An enclosed area in a courtroom where a person sits to tell the judge or jury what they saw
- US
A North American land turtle with a high shell that can close tightly to protect itself
- Archaic
A simple camera in the shape of a box with a fixed focus lens and few controls
- Archaic
A gift you give at Christmas to people who do a job for you, like a milkman or postman
- Formal
A locked box used to carry and keep important government papers like speeches
- Specialized
A tool that guides a saw to make cuts at exact angles in wood for picture frames
- UK
A small building where people control railway signals and switches to direct trains
A box-shaped instrument with bellows that you press to make music, like an accordion
A small tree with dark green lobed leaves and wood that resists rot, often used for fence posts
- Specialized
A long hollow structure made from boards with a rectangular shape that supports parts of a building
- Specialized
Smooth shiny leather made from the skin of a young cow and used for high quality shoes and bags
- US
A North American fast-growing maple tree with leaves made of several parts, often used for shade
- Specialized
A group of evergreen shrubs and small trees with glossy leaves, including boxwood, found worldwide
A low spreading evergreen shrub with small shiny leaves and nearly tasteless berries
How Hard
Surface Forms
Etymology
Box meaning a blow, especially on the ear, is an older sense of the word and likely comes from a short, sharp 'blow' once called a 'box', so a 'box' on the ear is simply a quick slap.