soapbox

[ sohp-boks ]

noun

1. Also soap box. an improvised platform, as one on a street, from which a speaker delivers an informal speech, an appeal, or political harangue.

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of a speaker or speech from a soapbox.

soapbox

/ ˈsəʊpˌbɒks /

noun

1. a box or crate for packing soap
2. a crate used as a platform for speech-making
3. a child's homemade racing cart consisting of a wooden box set on a wooden frame with wheels and a steerable front axle

Word History and Origins

Origin of soapbox¹

First recorded in 1650–60; soap + box ¹

Example Sentences

For some, the natural conclusion of this argument is that museums and other cultural centers should be spared, invited into the conversation rather than made the soapbox for it.

From Los Angeles Times

In updating the book, “we didn’t want to be preachy or stand on a soapbox, but we wanted to be fair and equitable to the different cultures we’re representing.”

From Los Angeles Times

So, imagine me standing on top of a soapbox, dead center in the middle of a crowd of about 1,000 people, yelling at the top of my lungs, "All books are not created equal!"

From Salon

And homeless people and soapbox orators are made unwelcome, because not doing that would be bad for business.

From Los Angeles Times

Of course, while the Republicans stand on their soapbox in a child's sandbox, looking like toddlers who've soiled their pull-ups, they also risk annoying and angering voters heading into the 2024 general election.

From Salon

Related Words

• acknowledge
• admit
• affirm
• avow
• confess
• feign
• pretend
• proclaim
• stump