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boom box

boom box

19 3.1
A portable music system with speakers that plays music loudly
  • noun
  • /ˈbuːm bɑːks/
  • Archaic
translation icon : radiocasete portátil
  • We brought a boom box to the beach to play our favorite songs all day.
  • played on a boom box

Oh, it's got power all right, JBL boom box, JBL boom band.

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Examples

  • The kid watches as the boom box plays an obscure favorite of Russell's, Eddie Giles.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • At this hour, not quite midmorning, the boom box on the table is playing old favorites by Led Zeppelin.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • Go to her house, bring a boom box, wait for her.

  • Now, I know you got that little boom box out there.

  • Get the guy with the boom box.

  • You still got your boom box?

  • Heavy metal music filters in from a boom box by the pool.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • They were playing Louis Armstrong on a boom box.

  • Eddie brought the boom box in to soothe his night with some reggae.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • The kids danced as the boom box pumped out lively music at the party.

Synonyms

boombox
vsboom box
  • Archaic
4 3.5

A portable music player with speakers used to play loud music in public places

is used generally rather than mainly for loud public listening
ghetto blaster
vsboom box
  • Archaic
1 7.7

A large portable stereo used to play loud music in public

is used for portable stereos of any size rather than only large ones
jam box
vsboom box
  • Informal
7.8

A small loud speaker you carry to play music outdoors

is the neutral term used in standard contexts rather than informal speech

Antonyms

660 2.0

A period with no sound or speech

45 1.0

A calm time with little or no sound

How Loud

PA system
7 2.8
sound system
30 3.5
boom box
  • Archaic
19 3.1
stereo
134 1.8
walkie-talkie
48 2.5
crystal set
  • Archaic
8.9

Surface Forms

boom box singular
boom boxes plural

Morphology

boom + box

The sense 'portable stereo that produces loud bassy sound' is directly inferable from combining 'boom' (a loud, deep noise) with 'box' (a container/object), i.e. a box that makes booms. This is a productive, mostly literal compound following English word-formation patterns, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would likely guess the meaning.

Etymology

Boom box gets its name from the deep boom of its speakers and the simple box shape of the player. That's why the word means a small stereo you can carry and play very loudly.