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
Keep a donation bag or box in your closet to help with your purge.
—
Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 8 Jan. 2026
Additionally, the Rams should advance, possibly all the way to the Super Bowl, so Puka checks a lot of boxes in Guillotine leagues.
—Bill Reinhard, New York Daily News, 8 Jan. 2026
Ulver is a role model for any musical act, metal or otherwise, that refuses to be boxed in and takes big swings for art’s sake.
—Daniel Bromfield, Pitchfork, 8 Jan. 2026
Federal official said that Parias, known online as Richard LA, was trying to escape an immigration arrest and had been boxed in by agents at the time of the incident.
—Maggie Vespa, NBC news, 8 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for box in
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Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 8 Jan. 2026
Additionally, the Rams should advance, possibly all the way to the Super Bowl, so Puka checks a lot of boxes in Guillotine leagues.
—Bill Reinhard, New York Daily News, 8 Jan. 2026
Ulver is a role model for any musical act, metal or otherwise, that refuses to be boxed in and takes big swings for art’s sake.
—Daniel Bromfield, Pitchfork, 8 Jan. 2026
Federal official said that Parias, known online as Richard LA, was trying to escape an immigration arrest and had been boxed in by agents at the time of the incident.
—Maggie Vespa, NBC news, 8 Jan. 2026
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 10 Jan. 2026.
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