matchbox

American  

[mach-boks] / ˈmætʃˌbɒks /

noun

1. a small box, usually of cardboard, for matches. match.

---

matchbox British  

/ ˈmætʃˌbɒks /

noun

1. a small box for holding matches

---

Etymology

Origin of matchbox

First recorded in 1780–90; match ¹ + box ¹

Example Sentences

These so-called inertial navigation units, which range from the size of a matchbox to that of a Kleenex box, can be made for use in the air, on land, underground or underwater.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 18, 2026

In a matter of months, they transformed the heaps of charred rubble into mostly vacant matchbox lots, ready for rebuilding.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 22, 2025

The party turned out to be on a roof that could be accessed only through a window too small to fit the matchbox.

From Slate • Jul. 21, 2025

He demonstrates this viscerally, shaking a matchbox at various points around a binaural microphone; wearing headphones, the listener can detect the clattering matches moving around in space.

From New York Times • Mar. 27, 2022

She opened it and found a tiny matchbox.

From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith