call box
- noun
- /kɔl bɑks/
- US
:
cabina telefónica
- The police officer directed her to use the call box by the main gate.
Examples
-
Many old call boxes have been removed due to the popularity of mobile phones.
-
The driver rushed to the nearest call box to report the accident.
-
Look at that call box!
-
I found a call box near the bus stop.
-
If you have an emergency while driving, look for a nearby call box to contact help.
-
The call box on the corner allowed pedestrians to report accidents quickly.
-
During the storm, we found a call box to reach emergency services for assistance.
Synonyms
75
2.0
A public phone you use by putting coins or a card in it
42
1.5
A small enclosed space with a public phone for private calls
4
2.3
A small enclosed space in a public place with a phone for people to use
1
3.0
A small box on a street that holds a public phone
A small booth with a telephone that people use
A public telephone you use by putting coins in it
How Public
- US
- Archaic
42
1.5
- Texting
1
3.2
- Specialized
5
3.7
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun compound 'call box' transparently denotes a box used for making calls — combining 'call' (to contact by phone) with 'box' (a container) yields the intended function. This compositional pattern (a container for a specific purpose) is common cross-linguistically and follows regular English noun-compounding, so a B1 learner who knows both words should be able to infer the meaning.
Etymology
Call box (telephone sense) comes from the simple picture of a public box with a phone inside where you went to make a call; because people used these street boxes to phone others, the term came to mean 'a public booth with a telephone'.