Standard Lemma guide

shoebox

noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: SH OW1 B AA0 K S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The box in which shoes are sold.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • In one shoebox he had a whole collection of seeds he had saved from last year.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A small, cramped residence or similar space.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: derogatory, figuratively

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

an oblong rectangular (usually cardboard) box designed to hold a pair of shoes

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: box

4

noun

Meaning 4

a structure resembling a shoebox (as a rectangular building or a cramped room or compartment)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: structure, construction

History

Etymology

From shoe + box.

Across languages

Translations

18 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 鞋盒 (xiéhé) — box in which shoes are sold
  • Dutch: schoenendoos — box in which shoes are sold
  • Esperanto: ŝuujo — box in which shoes are sold
  • Faroese: skógvaeskja — box in which shoes are sold
  • Finnish: kenkälaatikko — box in which shoes are sold
  • French: boîte à chaussures — box in which shoes are sold
  • German: Schuhschachtel — box in which shoes are sold
  • German: Schuhkarton — box in which shoes are sold
  • Hungarian: cipősdoboz — box in which shoes are sold
  • Italian: scatola da scarpe — box in which shoes are sold
  • Japanese: 靴箱 (kutsubako) — box in which shoes are sold
  • Norwegian Bokmål: skoeske — box in which shoes are sold
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: skoeske — box in which shoes are sold
  • Polish: pudełko na buty — box in which shoes are sold
  • Russian: коробка для обуви (korobka dlja obuvi) — box in which shoes are sold
  • Swedish: skokartong — box in which shoes are sold
  • Turkish: ayakkabı kutusu — box in which shoes are sold
  • Russian: крохотная каморка (kroxotnaja kamorka) — a small, cramped residence or similar space.