boom box

noun

: a usually large portable stereophonic radio and tape or CD player

Examples of boom box in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web While the return of the boom box on season 16 is no secret, Kandy reveals a hilarious story about how the bulky prop made it to the season 13 set with help from a fellow RuGirl. Joey Nolfi, EW.com, 9 Jan. 2024 Unlike a record player—or the reel-to-reel tape player—the boom box was both portable and commensurate with the scale and the volume of the city. Jon Michaud, The New Yorker, 16 Nov. 2023 The two most consequential innovations in the tape player, however, were the boom box and the Sony Walkman personal stereo. Jon Michaud, The New Yorker, 16 Nov. 2023 In 1980s New York, hip-hop was the soundtrack of the city, blaring through the neighborhoods on boom boxes and blasting groups like Run-DMC. Bobby Gehlen, ABC News, 11 Aug. 2023 The Radio Raheem boom box in the Smithsonian’s collection used to be owned by Gene Siskel. Angela Watercutter, WIRED, 10 Aug. 2023 This 35-millimeter film highlights graffiti art, boom boxes and scratch-mixing, OG style. Sally Verrando, Dallas News, 31 July 2023 The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture has some 300 hip-hop-specific artifacts, including a Technics turntable used by Grandmaster Flash and the boom box carried by Radio Raheem in Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing. Angela Watercutter, WIRED, 10 Aug. 2023 Some systems are designed for pocket portability while others are sized more like the classic boom boxes of yore. Jack Baruth, Popular Mechanics, 10 Aug. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'boom box.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1981, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of boom box was in 1981

Dictionary Entries Near boom box

Cite this Entry

“Boom box.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/boom%20box. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

boom box

noun
: a large portable radio and often tape deck or CD player with two attached speakers
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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