Call box means: A box containing a telephone for use in emergency, usually mounted on a post in an area where normal access to telephones is inconvenient .. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour. If your teen uses it, context will usually make the intent clear. A short, curious question about where they heard it is usually all that is needed to know whether to follow up.
call box
A box containing a telephone for use in emergency, usually mounted on a post in an area where normal access to telephones is inconvenient (such as on an interstate highway or a very long highway bridg
Definitions
UK
#1·Apr 27, 2026UK
A box containing a telephone for use in emergency, usually mounted on a post in an area where normal access to telephones is inconvenient (such as on an interstate highway or a very long highway bridge).
For parents
Call box means: A box containing a telephone for use in emergency, usually mounted on a post in an area where normal access to telephones is inconvenient .. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour. If your teen uses it, context will usually make the intent clear. A short, curious question about where they heard it is usually all that is needed to know whether to follow up.
For ESL learners
call box means: A box containing a telephone for use in emergency, usually mounted on a post in an area where normal access to telephones is inconvenient .. Register: neutral, standard English. A common learner mistake is using the word in a register it does not fit, or assuming a single global meaning; native speakers immediately notice when slang appears in formal contexts, so always check the surrounding register before producing it yourself.
Cluster: normal
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UK
#2·Apr 27, 2026UK
The wall-mounted box allowing a person to speak into an intercom.
Cluster: general
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For specific readers
Why is this section here?
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
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UK
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Other words near "call box" (C)
call a goCallahanCallancall an audiblecallantcall balls and strikescallboycall collectCallencall forCalliecalling bell
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Related terms
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Semantically related
- telephone box70%
(British, Ireland, Australia) A small enclosure housing a public telephone (usually a payphone).
- phone box65%
(figurative) A very small space.
- police box65%
(chiefly, British, dated) A telephone kiosk where members of the public may telephone the police.
- phone box62%
The standard British, Irish, and Australian term for a public telephone enclosure — what Americans call a phone booth. The classic British red phone box (the K6 model designed by Giles Gilbert Scott) is an internationally recognised cultural icon. Used figuratively to describe any very small, cramped space.