noun
icebox
UH-ihs-boks
noun
1
An old-fashioned insulated box or cabinet that used blocks of ice to keep food cool, before electric refrigerators were common.
"Grandma still calls the fridge an icebox out of habit."
2
(informal) A refrigerator.
"Grab a soda from the icebox while you're up."
How to Use Icebox
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishAn old term for a fridge, from the days when ice blocks (not electricity) kept food cold.
When to use it
Mostly used informally or by older speakers in American English; younger speakers just say "fridge."
Word Forms
iceboxes plural
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Grandma still calls the fridge an _____ out of habit.
Etymology
From ice + box — literally a box that held ice.