outbox

/ˈaʊtbɒks/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈaʊtbɑːks/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈau̇t-ˌbäks/ (ame, mw)

outbox — noun

  • outboxsingular
  • outboxesplural

1. a folder inside email software where finished messages wait until the program se

1.名詞B1
釋義

a folder inside email software where finished messages wait until the program sends them to their intended recipients

例句

Sirin wrote her reply and clicked send, but it stayed in her outbox because the Wi-Fi was down.

stay in the outbox — unsent due to connection issue

Before leaving the office, Adisa checked his outbox to make sure all the invoices had gone through.

check (one's) outbox — verify messages were sent

同義詞
  • outgoing folder

    less common; describes the same location in general computing terms rather than just email

  • send queue

    more technical; emphasises the order in which messages are transmitted

反義詞
  • inbox

    holds received, not outgoing, messages

文法句型

the outbox

in/from (one's) outbox

用法筆記

Common in digital communication. The outbox is temporary — messages move from it to a 'sent' folder once transmission succeeds. Distinguish from sense 2: sense 1 is digital (a computer folder), while sense 2 is physical (a desk tray).

常見錯誤

❌I checked my outbox to see who had emailed me.
✅I checked my inbox to see who had emailed me.
💡The outbox holds messages you wrote; the inbox holds messages others sent to you.
❌The email is in my outbox, so the recipient has already read it.
✅The email is in my outbox, so it has not been sent yet.
💡Messages in the outbox have not yet been transmitted.

2. a shallow tray or container kept on a desk, used to hold letters, forms, or docu

2.名詞B2
釋義

a shallow tray or container kept on a desk, used to hold letters, forms, or documents that have been processed and are ready to be mailed, given to another person, or stored away

例句

Selim placed the signed contracts into his outbox for the courier to collect the next morning.

place [documents] into the outbox — ready for collection

The office assistant cleared the outbox every afternoon, stamping and mailing each letter before five o'clock.

同義詞
  • out-tray

    common in British English; refers to the same physical desk container

  • outgoing tray

    descriptive term, used in offices to label the container

反義詞
  • inbox

    holds incoming or unprocessed letters and documents

  • in-tray

    the British English equivalent of the inbox on a desk

文法句型

the outbox

in/into/out of the outbox

用法筆記

More common in British English than American English. The matching container for incoming/unprocessed items is the 'inbox' or 'in-tray'. This physical sense is becoming less frequent as offices shift to digital workflows.

常見錯誤

❌Put the unread letters in your outbox and deal with them tomorrow.
✅Put the unread letters in your inbox and deal with them tomorrow.
💡The outbox holds items that have already been dealt with; the inbox holds items that still need attention.