snuffbox

noun

snuff·​box ˈsnəf-ˌbäks How to pronounce snuffbox (audio)
: a small box for holding snuff usually carried about the person

Examples of snuffbox in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The snuffbox is the most widespread of the Epioblasma genus of mussels. Jennifer Dixon, Detroit Free Press, 15 Aug. 2024 Presenting an antique for inspection, Queen Camilla unveiled a snuffbox from the Royal Collection, which impressed Roadshow silver expert Duncan Campbell with its rich history. Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 6 Mar. 2023 When Benjamin Franklin departed as minister to France, King Louis XVI presented him with a snuffbox encrusted with 408 diamonds and inset with the king’s portrait. Craig Whitlock, Washington Post, 18 Oct. 2022 The group portrait is not the only depiction of Yale to stir dissent at the university, which altogether owns seven paintings of its namesake as well as a snuffbox with his portrait on it. Nancy Kenney, CNN, 12 Oct. 2021 Another 20 species there are endangered, including mussels with evocative names such as fluted kidneyshell, snuffbox, birdwing pearlymussel, and shiny pigtoe. Washington Post, 17 Dec. 2019 Among them, concerns about the snuffbox mussels halted the construction of a $27 million bridge on Vrooman Road bridge in Lake County. Grant Segall, cleveland.com, 19 Aug. 2019 During every lesson, the prized pupil steals something from Miss Nightingale’s home: a snuffbox, a porcelain swan, a scarf. S. Kirk Walsh, San Francisco Chronicle, 24 May 2018 Few museum visitors have ever handled a marble bust or a gilded snuffbox, but everyone wears clothes. Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell, The Atlantic, 18 Aug. 2017

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1673, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of snuffbox was circa 1673

Dictionary Entries Near snuffbox

Cite this Entry

“Snuffbox.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/snuffbox. Accessed 10 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

snuffbox

noun
snuff·​box ˈsnəf-ˌbäks How to pronounce snuffbox (audio)
: a small box for snuff

More from Merriam-Webster on snuffbox

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!