shoebox

noun

shoe·​box ˈshü-ˌbäks 

variants or less commonly shoe box

1

: a box that shoes are sold in

a shoebox full of old photographs

2

: a small space and especially a small living space

The loft, almost an hour from her house by tube, is a shoebox with 18-foot ceilings, white and blue, with odds and ends of mismatched furniture …

—Michael Kimmelman

—often used before another noun

a shoebox apartment

Since commercial real estate was cheaper, art galleries and Off Off Off Broadway theaters could spring up in shoebox storefronts.

—James Wolcott

Examples of shoebox in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The vast network of shoebox-sized Flock cameras tracking average motorists' locations is opposed by as much as 46% of Americans, new polling shows. — Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2026

The silkworms rock their heads in the shoeboxes, looking for mulberry leaves. — Jonathan Flint, Harpers Magazine, 1 Sep. 2026

The drones can transport virtually any item weighing five pounds or less that can fit in a shoebox-sized container, with free delivery for Prime members who spend $50 or more. — Alexei Oreskovic, Fortune, 20 Aug. 2026

To qualify for drone delivery, items have to weigh 5 pounds or less and fit inside a large shoebox. — Todd Feurer, CBS News, 19 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1838, in the meaning defined at sense 1