toe box

noun

plural toe boxes

1

: the part of footwear enclosing the toes

Most high-fashion heels have a narrow, pointy toe box that squeezes the toes together …

—Food & Fitness Advisor

2

ballet : the reinforced toe enclosure of a pointe shoe

… the hard oval bottom of the toe box which the ballerina will balance on.

—Kevin Conley

The toe box of the shoe usually is made of burlap and paper soaked with glue. … There's a small window of time before the shoe's toe box becomes too soft to use. Professional dancers might even go through more than one pair during a performance.

—Eileen Brady

Examples of toe box in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Cue revisits of classic shapes such as bowling shoes, ballet flats, mules and T-straps with his now signature curvaceous toe box. — Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 7 Oct. 2026

Like Middleton’s pair, these loafers have a sleek silhouette with tapered toe boxes that create a leg-lengthening effect. — Sian Babish, PEOPLE, 3 Oct. 2026

The gold horsebit and ruching at the toe box are chic eye-catching details. — Kaitlin Clapinski, InStyle, 21 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1897, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for toe box

• botox
• checkbox
• comox
• cornstalks
• cowpox
• crosswalks
• deadlocks
• detox
• feedstocks
• gearbox
• hemlocks
• icebox