boxes

1. 1
   noun

   Plural of box.

   The movers carried dozens of boxes up the narrow stairs.

   Several boxes of old files were stored in the basement.

   Note

   An ordinary plural that adds a syllable: -es rather than plain -s, because the stem ends in the hissing sound of x. It covers every kind of box at once, including cartons, drawers, seats in a theater or courtroom, and the numbered reply slots at a newspaper office. Followed by of, it often counts contents rather than containers: three boxes of files means the files as much as the cardboard.

2. 2
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present of box.

   The young champion boxes with remarkable speed and footwork.

   He carefully boxes each fragile item before sending it off.

   Note

   The present-tense verb shares its spelling, and its extra -es syllable, with the noun plural. Only the sentence tells them apart. As a verb it nearly always takes an object: she boxes the books, the carpenter boxes the pipes. With in, it turns from packing to trapping. A defender boxes in a striker, and a rule boxes in a choice.

Showing meanings only. Show all 2