lunchbox

American

[luhnch-boks] / ˈlʌntʃˌbɒks /

noun

a small container, usually of metal or plastic and with a handle, for carrying one's lunch from home to school or work.

lunchbox British

/ ˈlʌntʃˌbɒks /

noun

a container for carrying a packed lunch
humorous a man's genitals

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of lunchbox

First recorded in 1860–65; lunch + box ¹

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"I find myself counting how many things they have in their lunchbox so we don't run out," said Debbie.

From BBC

Another of the protesters, Narwin Gil, stopped a policeman from entering the prison with his lunchbox.

From Barron's

A week ago you may have had no idea who he was, this blonde rocket in sequins who looked like he belonged on a Frozen lunchbox.

From The Wall Street Journal

Tanisha Singh is getting ready for work early one morning and cooking a simple curry for her lunchbox when she realises she's out of tomatoes.

From BBC

The Post, citing an FBI affidavit, reported that law enforcement had targeted Aurelio Perez-Lugones, a government contractor in Maryland with a top secret security clearance, for stealing “classified intelligence reports that were found in his lunchbox and his basement.”

From Salon

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023