inbox

noun

in·​box ˈin-ˌbäks 

variants or in-box

plural inboxes or in-boxes

1

: a box or tray (as on a desk) for holding incoming interoffice mail

2

: a computer folder devoted to incoming email

One of my favorite rituals soon became scanning our email inbox, looking for your photographs … and reading the letters you sent …

—Amy Virshup

Examples of inbox in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Earlier this week, researchers outlined an attack that used a secret input provided by Microsoft 365 Copilot for enterprise to cause the AI assistant to exfiltrate a password present in the user’s inbox. — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 20 Aug. 2026

The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning. — Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 20 Aug. 2026

Weekly Newsletter Get your fix of JSTOR Daily’s best stories in your inbox each Thursday. — Kristen Finch, JSTOR Daily, 14 Aug. 2026

This Week Our editors’ top picks, delivered free to your inbox every Friday. — Michael B. G. Froman, Foreign Affairs, 13 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1958, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

in-box

noun

ˈin-ˌbäks 

: a receptacle for incoming letters between offices in an organization

also : a computer folder for incoming email