Read along with the three podcasts, or open the full dictionary entry for Postbox for the definition, Arabic meaning, synonyms and example sentences.
Narrator: Today's word is "Postbox" — noun, pronounced /ˈpəʊstbɒks/, with the stress on "post".
Narrator: A postbox is a container in a public place where you drop letters for the mail service to collect.
Narrator: In plain English, a postbox is the red box on the street where you post your letters.
Narrator: It is a compound of post, the mail, and box, a container, so literally a box for the post.
Narrator: "Posting a letter in the postbox" describes sliding your envelope into the slot for collection.
Narrator: It differs from a mailbox because postbox is the British English term, whereas mailbox is the American English term for the same thing.
Narrator: "A pillar postbox" is the tall, round, red variety found on British streets, named for its shape.
Narrator: Postal services, street furniture, design history and everyday life all rely on the word postbox.
Narrator: So remember: a postbox is a public letter box, from post plus box.
Speaker A: Why are British postboxes red? I've always wondered.
Speaker B: To stand out! POSTBOX joins post, the mail, with box, a container, and the red colour was chosen in the nineteenth century so the boxes were easy to spot on the street.
Speaker A: And Americans call them mailboxes?
Speaker B: Exactly — same thing, different word!
Speaker A: Example sentences?
Speaker B: "She dropped the letter in the postbox"; "the postbox was painted red"; "he walked to the nearest postbox" — an action, a colour, and a walk.
Speaker A: Common mistakes?
Speaker B: Do not call a home letter box a postbox, since a postbox is a public container; and the plural is postboxes, not postboxs.
Speaker A: Close relatives?
Speaker B: "Mailbox" the American cousin, "pillar box" the British twin, "letter box" the home alternative. The postbox keeps its red, street-standing charm!
Speaker B: Let's use "postbox" in AI prompts — useful for moving-house guides and design history tools.
Speaker A: So a prompt could help a newcomer find a postbox?
Speaker B: Right. For a moving app, you'd write:
Prompt: Write a short guide for a newcomer on how to find and use a local postbox, naming one collection-time tip.
Speaker A: How about a history tool?
Speaker B: Ask the model to describe a design:
Prompt: Describe in three sentences how the British pillar postbox design evolved, naming two monarchs whose initials appear.
Speaker A: Could it help with a postal app?
Speaker B: Yes, you can explain collection:
Prompt: Explain in two sentences how letters are collected from a postbox, naming the frequency and one thing to check before posting.
Speaker A: One more?
Speaker B: For a craft app, try this:
Prompt: Suggest two simple craft projects using a picture of a red postbox, suitable for a primary school class.
Postbox — meaning in Arabic & definition More P courses GL Dictionary