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postbox

postbox

1 1.0
A public box where people put letters and mail to be collected
  • noun
  • /ˈpoʊstˌbɑːks/
  • UK
translation icon : buzón
  • I dropped a letter into the postbox on my way to work.
  • a red postbox

Examples

  • We hit a postbox.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • A name is sort of like a postbox number, a code—several different people can use the same name, right?

    Fiction book (1991)
  • I tracked him through his postbox.

  • "Just set it down outside the chipper, next to the postbox," I said.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • Pound one on a door, slap one on a kiosk, place one on a postbox... ...wherever your life may lead you.

  • If we line up five books in an empty postbox, phone booth, or anything with a shelf and call it a 'library', what does it mean to be a library?

    Blog text (33)
  • THERE SHE IS, BY THE POSTBOX.

  • Edging away from the postbox—and I have witnessed this—he would be wide-eyed with momentary terror.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • Please check the postbox for any mail that might have arrived.

  • The village's bright red postbox is a popular spot for tourists to take photos.

Synonyms

mailbox
vspostbox
  • US
111 1.0

A box outside a home or on the street where mail is delivered

is the public collection point for outgoing mail collected by postal service
mail slot
vspostbox
  • US
5 2.8

A narrow opening in a door for putting letters and small packages through

is the public collection box for outgoing mail picked up by postal workers
letterbox
vspostbox
  • UK
2 1.5

A slot in a door or wall where mail is put

is the public collection box for outgoing mail gathered by postal workers
letter box
vspostbox
  • UK
1.8

A public box where people put letters for the post to collect

is the public collection box for outgoing and incoming mail handled by postal service
maildrop
vspostbox
  • US
4.4

A box where people put letters or small packages for someone to collect

is the official street collection box used by postal workers

How Big

pillar box
  • UK
7.1
postbox
  • UK
1 1.0
mailbox
  • US
111 1.0
letterbox
  • UK
2 1.5

Surface Forms

postbox singular
postboxes plural

Morphology

postbox = post + box (transparent) = post + box

The meaning is directly the combination 'post' + 'box' (a box for post), which learners can derive from the components.

Etymology

Postbox is formed from post meaning 'mail' and box meaning 'a container'. So a postbox is a public box where you drop letters to be collected and sent by the postal service.