What does postbox mean?
A postbox is a box where outgoing letters and other mail can be placed for collection. In British English, it usually describes a public fixture on a street or near a post office, often painted a distinctive color and marked with the national postal service’s name. The word is also used more broadly for a receptacle from which postal workers collect mail. American English more commonly uses “mailbox” for the same object, although “mailbox” can also refer to a private box at a house or business. “Postbox” is therefore especially associated with British and Commonwealth usage, but it is readily understood throughout the English-speaking world. Its straightforward meaning is reinforced by familiar expressions such as “street postbox,” “postbox collection,” and “the postbox outside the post office.”
nounA postbox is a box or receptacle, usually standing in a public place, where outgoing letters and other mail can be posted for collection. In British English, it commonly refers to the familiar street or post-office fixture used to send mail.
- A public box or receptacle for outgoing mail, especially one located on a street or outside a post office.
"She dropped the letter into the red postbox on the corner of the street."
"The postbox outside the station is emptied every afternoon."
"Put the application in the postbox before the last collection time."
The standard plural is “postboxes.”
"The postboxes along the high street were painted bright red."
“Postbox” is a small linguistic clue to British English: the familiar street fixture called a postbox in Britain is usually called a mailbox in America.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does postbox come from?
“Postbox” is a compound formed from “post,” in the sense of postal service or mail, and “box,” meaning a container. The terminology developed in an English-speaking postal context in which the “post” is the service or system responsible for sending mail. The word is especially characteristic of British English, while American English generally favors “mailbox.” Its component “post” belongs to a wider vocabulary including “postal,” “postage,” and “postmaster,” all reflecting the institution and practices of the postal service.
Related word forms
How postbox is actually used
In British English, “postbox” is the usual everyday term, while “mailbox” is more common in American English. The word is most often used for a public receptacle; “letterbox” may refer instead to a private slot where mail is delivered.
Easily confused with postbox
A mailbox is the general term for a box or receptacle for receiving mail, especially in American English, whereas a postbox is a box where outgoing mail is placed for collection.
A letterbox can be a slot in a door or wall through which letters are delivered, while a postbox is generally used by a sender to post outgoing mail.