shoebox

or shoe box

[ shoo-boks ]

noun

1. an oblong cardboard box of a standard size used to package a pair of shoes for sale.
2. any house, building, or other construction likened to a shoebox because of its shape or cramped area.

Word History and Origins

Origin of shoebox¹

First recorded in 1855–60; shoe + box ¹

Example Sentences

As Sara considered this, she reflexively hugged the shoebox against her chest.

From Literature

And somewhere at home in a shoebox of treasures is a prized photo of my father and his fishing buddy holding up the two gorgeous natural wonders.

From Los Angeles Times

He works in an office plaza, lives in a shoebox apartment with vellum-thin walls and socializes at his choice of nearby casual dining establishments with names like Flingers and Chotchkie's Bar & Grill.

From Salon

Ziwei can still remember the months she spent huddling alone in a tiny shoebox apartment in Taipei.

From BBC

Imagine a device smaller than a toddler's shoebox that can simulate any human disease in multiple organs or test new drugs without ever entering -- or harming -- the body.

From Science Daily