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Glite Dictionary
to box up

to box up

11 2.6
Put things into a box to keep them
  • phrasal verb
  • /bɑks ʌp/
: meter en cajas
  • Make sure to box up the fragile items carefully to avoid any damage.
  • box up leftovers
  • box up your stuff
  • box up books

And so all the documents get boxed up and they'll go to Florida.

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Examples

  • The samples are also cut, bagged and boxed up and then shipped to research centers around the world.

  • His belongings were boxed up and wheeled out the door.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • Could you box that up for me?

    Tenet (2020)

  • Yeah, man, it's gonna be tough to box up that whole place by monday, you know?

    Not Cool (2014)

  • " We'll have to box everything up.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • So Josh came over, and he literally helped me box up everything.

    The Minimalists: Less Is Now (2021)

  • Then we had to cancel more students and services in order to sort, label, and box up the tests.

    Blog text (9)

  • I decided to box up any tool or item I did not need and store it for my kids' inheritance.

    Blog text (30)

  • Could you box up Michael's things?

    First Reformed (2018)

  • When the food comes out, can we get it boxed up?

    The Yellow Handkerchief (2009)

Synonyms

to pack
vsto box up
655 1.0

To put things into a container to carry or store them

focuses on any container or space rather than a square closed container
to house
vsto box up
89 3.2

To hold something inside a building or container

is more general meaning to hold or provide space rather than tightly enclose
to box
vsto box up
42 1.0

To put things into a container for storage or transport

also means to enclose or confine someone metaphorically like inside a container
to box in
vsto box up
8 4.7

To stop a person or thing from moving, acting freely and making choices

can also mean putting items into a container for storage or transport
to crate
vsto box up
5 4.1

To put something into a strong box for moving or keeping safe

uses a sturdy material for transport protection unlike ordinary small containers
to encapsulate
vsto box up
4 7.2

Put something inside a small container like a pill or shell

is broader applying to regular square containers and figurative confinement rather than tiny sealed vessels
to case
vsto box up
4 5.3

To put something into a box or container to protect it

specifies a fitted protective holder rather than a plain square container
to containerize
vsto box up
  • Specialized
1 6.5

To put goods into a container for transport

focuses on shipping with large industrial containers rather than domestic enclosing
to parcel
vsto box up
1 3.5

To wrap something in paper or a box to send

emphasizes wrapping for sending rather than merely placing inside a container
to parcel up
vsto box up
3.4

To wrap things together to send or store

groups multiple objects for sending or storing instead of individual placement

Antonyms

to release
∞ 1.8

To let someone or something go free from being held

to unbox
  • Texting
1 4.4

Remove something from a box or package, often a new product

How Enclosed

to seal
457 2.5
to wrap
729 1.0
to box up
11 2.6
to crate
5 4.1
to pack
655 1.0

Surface Forms

box up infinitive
boxed up past
boxed up past participle
boxing up present participle
boxes up third person singular

Morphology

box + up

The meaning 'to put something into a box / to enclose or confine as if in a box' is directly derivable from 'box' (to pack or enclose) combined with the particle 'up' which adds a sense of completion or containment. This verb+particle composition is a common, compositional pattern in English (and parallels exist in many languages), so a B1 learner who knows the constituents would readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

Box up comes from the simple image of packing things into a box. To box something up is to put it into a container so it is put away or kept in one place, so the phrase now means 'to put something into a box' or 'to enclose or confine'.