box in
phrasal 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 inWe were boxed in and couldn't get out of our parking space.
—sometimes used figurativelyI feel boxed in by all these rules.
Examples of box in in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The film follows young Ariadlyn, who discovers an ornate wooden box in her parents’ bedroom that opens a door to a magical world called the Turning.
—
Carole Horst, Variety, 11 Nov. 2025
Bennett’s niece Patty Knies became Susan’s legal guardian after their death and watched over their items — except for the Purple Heart, which had been inside an Oak Lawn Bank safe deposit box in Ann’s name.
—Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 11 Nov. 2025
Last month, a woman was shot by federal agents in Chicago after DHS said their vehicles were boxed in by other cars.
—Dan Gooding, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Nov. 2025
The animals have room to climb and jump and perch on a few branches—a big improvement over the tiny wire boxes in which they would have been forced to live their entire lives in the past.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 6 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for box in
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Carole Horst, Variety, 11 Nov. 2025
Bennett’s niece Patty Knies became Susan’s legal guardian after their death and watched over their items — except for the Purple Heart, which had been inside an Oak Lawn Bank safe deposit box in Ann’s name.
—Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 11 Nov. 2025
Last month, a woman was shot by federal agents in Chicago after DHS said their vehicles were boxed in by other cars.
—Dan Gooding, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Nov. 2025
The animals have room to climb and jump and perch on a few branches—a big improvement over the tiny wire boxes in which they would have been forced to live their entire lives in the past.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 6 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for box in
Cite this Entry
“Box in.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/box%20in. Accessed 13 Nov. 2025.
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