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 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

Most items weighing 5 pounds or less that fit inside a large shoebox are eligible for drone delivery. — Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 19 Aug. 2026

Not because a 12-truck fleet needs enterprise features, but because putting work orders, PM schedules, and part costs in one place makes patterns easier to spot when the data would otherwise be scattered across three notebooks and a shoebox. — Malana Vantyler, Ascend Agency, 11 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1838, in the meaning defined at sense 1