inbox

noun

in·​box ˈin-ˌbäks How to pronounce inbox (audio)
variants or in-box
plural inboxes or in-boxes
1
: a box or tray (as on a desk) for holding incoming interoffice mail
2
: a computer folder devoted to incoming email
One of my favorite rituals soon became scanning our email inbox, looking for your photographs … and reading the letters you sent …Amy Virshup

Examples of inbox 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.
Click here to have breaking news alerts sent directly to your inbox. Angie Dimichele, Sun Sentinel, 24 July 2025 This is a preview of Access Health—Tap here to get this newsletter delivered straight to your inbox. Alexis Kayser, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 July 2025 Fractional EAs can manage everything from inbox management and scheduling to project coordination and internal communication—in a model that scales with the business. Kenzie Biggins, Forbes.com, 24 July 2025 Look for this newsletter in your inbox Monday through Friday. Blake Toppmeyer, USA TODAY, 24 July 2025 Have the latest Reality Checks delivered to your inbox with our free newsletter. Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 23 July 2025 Get Property Play directly to your inbox CNBC’s Property Play with Diana Olick covers new and evolving opportunities for the real estate investor, delivered weekly to your inbox. Diana Olick, CNBC, 23 July 2025 Sign up for the Goings On newsletter to receive their selections, and other cultural recommendations, in your inbox. The New Yorker, New Yorker, 23 July 2025 Sign up here to get stories like this sent to your inbox. Philip Elliott, Time, 22 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1958, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of inbox was in 1958

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Cite this Entry

“Inbox.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inbox. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

in-box

noun
ˈin-ˌbäks
: a receptacle for incoming letters between offices in an organization
also : a computer folder for incoming email

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