pillbox

IPA/ˈpɪlbɒks/
IPA/ˈpɪlbɑːks/

pillbox — noun

  • pillboxsingular
  • pillboxesplural

1. a small box or container designed to hold pills, often divided into sections for

1.名詞B1
釋義

a small box or container designed to hold pills, often divided into sections for different days or times of the day to help people remember to take their medicine

例句

Putri keeps her vitamins in a colourful pillbox on the kitchen counter.

pillbox + preposition: in a pillbox

Saira bought a weekly pillbox with seven compartments for her morning medication.

compound adjective: weekly pillbox

同義詞
  • pill case

    a less specific term for any container that holds pills

  • medicine box

    often larger and may hold other medical items, not just pills

用法筆記

Pillboxes are often designed with separate compartments for each day of the week to help with medication schedules.

2. a small, strongly built concrete shelter used by soldiers in combat, with narrow

2.名詞B2
釋義

a small, strongly built concrete shelter used by soldiers in combat, with narrow openings in the walls designed for firing weapons from a protected position

例句

The soldiers took cover behind an abandoned concrete pillbox near the river.

premodifier: concrete pillbox

Nia studied photographs of Second World War pillboxes that still stand along the coastline.

prepositional phrase: pillboxes along the coastline

同義詞
  • bunker

    a broader term for any fortified shelter, often larger than a pillbox

  • blockhouse

    a small fortified building, sometimes interchangeable with pillbox in military contexts

用法筆記

Pillboxes were commonly built during the First and Second World Wars as part of defensive lines. The word describes their visual resemblance to a box of pills when seen from a distance.

常見錯誤

The soldiers built a pillbox out of wood.
The soldiers built a pillbox out of concrete.
💡Pillboxes are almost always made of reinforced concrete, not wood.

3. a brimless hat shaped like a shallow cup, worn by women as a fashion accessory a

3.名詞C1
釋義

a brimless hat shaped like a shallow cup, worn by women as a fashion accessory and especially popular in the mid-twentieth century

例句

Camille wore a stylish red pillbox to her cousin's spring wedding.

colour + pillbox: red pillbox

The vintage clothing store had a collection of pillbox hats from the 1960s.

compound noun: pillbox hat

同義詞
  • pillbox hat

    the more common full name for this item of clothing

用法筆記

Often called a 'pillbox hat' to clearly distinguish it from the container and the military shelter. Made famous by First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy in the 1960s.