noun
letterbox
noun
1
A slot or box, typically at the front of a house, through which mail is delivered.
"He pushed the flyer through the letterbox."
2
A style of showing a widescreen film on a standard screen, with black bars above and below the picture.
"The DVD was released in letterbox format to preserve the original aspect ratio."
How to Use Letterbox
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA slot for mail (UK usage), or a widescreen film format with black bars top and bottom.
UK vs US
In British English, "letterbox" is the everyday word for what Americans usually call a "mail slot" or "mailbox."
Common pairings
post through the letterbox
letterbox format
Word Forms
letterboxed past tense, letterboxes plural, letterboxes singular
Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.
Test yourself on “letterbox”
A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage
→
Fill the Gap
Can you complete this real example?
He pushed the flyer through the _____.
Etymology
A straightforward compound of "letter" and "box."