call box

American  

noun

1. an outdoor telephone or signal box for calling the police or fire department.

2. British. a public telephone booth.

3. a post-office box for mail that can be picked up only by a renter in person.

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call box British  

noun

1. Also called: telephone box.   telephone kiosk.  a soundproof enclosure for a public telephone

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Etymology

Origin of call box

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

The same man was seen in the footage using the apartment’s call box around 1:20 a.m.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 24, 2022

BT was consulting with Aberdeenshire Council on the future of the call box, as well as those located in Crovie and Portsoy.

From BBC • Sep. 10, 2021

I was a fan of Duchamp but wasn’t familiar with that particular piece, so I remember standing in a call box while Richard described it to me over the phone.

From The Guardian • Dec. 7, 2018

A faded yellow emergency call box hung next to the front door.

From New York Times • May 2, 2016

There was a call box to ring individual apartments to ask someone to unlock the door for you.

From "Book Scavenger" by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman