boxcar

[ boks-kahr ]

noun

1. Railroads. a completely enclosed freight car.
2. boxcars, a pair of sixes on the first throw of the dice in the game of craps.

adjective

1. Informal. extremely or disproportionately large:

   The business had boxcar profits during its first year.

boxcar

/ ˈbɒksˌkɑː /

noun

1. a closed railway freight van

Word History and Origins

Origin of boxcar¹

An Americanism dating back to 1855–60; box ¹ + car ¹

Example Sentences

After a short walk through the woods they spotted boxcars.

From Seattle Times

On a hotel rooftop in Hollywood, facing the glitterati tucked into the hills, Sierra Ferrell explained how to pack for a clandestine ride in a boxcar.

From Los Angeles Times

By summer, all but two families had departed their flooded homes and were living in boxcars or makeshift houses above the rising waterline.

From Seattle Times

Animals in circuses are hauled across the country in poorly ventilated trailers and boxcars for up to 50 weeks a year in all kinds of extreme weather.

From Los Angeles Times

Behind them were tens of thousands of Venezuelans and other migrants, trekking across the Darien Gap and into Central America, riding atop boxcars through Mexico, on their way.

From Los Angeles Times