Definition

1. Noun:
   • A public box for deposit of mail: A container, typically found on streets or in public places, where people can place outgoing letters and small packages for collection by a postal service.
   • A private box for delivery of mail: A container, typically located at a residence or business, where incoming mail is delivered by a postal carrier.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • She dropped the letter into the blue mailbox on the corner. (This refers to a public collection box.)
  • Please check the mailbox; the package might have arrived. (This refers to a private delivery box at a home.)

Advanced Usage

• "Digital/Electronic mailbox": A metaphorical term for an email inbox or a digital storage space for electronic messages.
  • Your scanned documents have been sent to your secure digital mailbox.
• "Mailbox rule": A legal doctrine in contract law stating that an acceptance is effective when it is sent (e.g., placed in a mailbox), not when it is received.

Variants and Related Words

• Letter box (noun, chiefly British): A public mailbox or a slot in a door for receiving mail.
• Postbox (noun, chiefly British): A public mailbox.
• Post office box (P.O. Box) (noun): A numbered private mailbox located within a post office that customers rent for receiving mail.

Synonyms

• Postbox (for public box)
• Letter box (for private box, especially in UK context)
• Drop box

Related Phrases

• "Check the mailbox": To look inside one's private mailbox for new deliveries.
  • I need to check the mailbox for the electric bill.
• "Full mailbox": Can refer to a physical box overflowing with mail or, more commonly today, an email inbox that has reached its storage limit.
  • I couldn't leave a voicemail because her mailbox was full.

Noun

1. public box for deposit of mail
2. a private box for delivery of mail