box in

verb

boxed in; boxing in; boxes in

: to surround (someone or something) and make movement difficult

The other bicyclists boxed her in and she couldn't move ahead.

—usually used as (be) boxed in

We were boxed in and couldn't get out of our parking space.

—sometimes used figuratively

I feel boxed in by all these rules.

Examples of box in in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Viennese set designer Oskar Strnad saw traditional theaters as agents of social stratification with the imperial box in the center, the bourgeoisie in the parquet, and the hoi polloi in the nosebleed balcony. — Justin Davidson, Curbed, 29 July 2026

The museum was being renovated, and many collections were arranged neatly in boxes in a storage room, as though ready-packed for the looters to carry away. — Noraldin Jadat, Christian Science Monitor, 27 July 2026

This illustrates, though that the Warriors seem boxed in with their current circumstances. — Mark Medina, Forbes.com, 26 July 2026

Under the beating sun in South San Jose Friday afternoon, Amanda Chapiewski hauled several bags of clothes to donation boxes in the Safeway parking lot in Almaden Valley. — Ryan MacAsero, Mercury News, 24 July 2026

Rhymes for box in

• coxon
• oxen
• tocsin
• toxin
• aflatoxin
• antitoxin
• digitoxin
• endotoxin
• exotoxin
• ferredoxin
• mycotoxin
• neurotoxin