Shadowbox
noun, verb ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 A diorama or shallow display case, usually with a glass front.
"Simply constructed of wood, a shadowbox sign frame 6 inches deep, 11 inches wide and 70 inches long is suspended over the stairway of the Scott Sotre, 124 Fifth Avenue, Jamestown, N.D."
- 2 A rectangular display area that is set off with a frame or drop shadow.
"This book will show you how to make fabulous origami shadowbox frames to display your art in a beautiful and original way!"
- 3 A box with a light inside used for reading X-ray images.
"Q. All right. Would they be of any significance in showing the jury through a shadowbox? A. I think they helped confirm the diagnosis."
- 4 A shade that surrounds a lit display or screen to make it easier to read in bright environments.
"In cases where it is difficult or impossible to reduce room illumination to this value, viewing of the projected image may be improved by providing the screen with a light shield, commonly known as a shadowbox ."
- 1 To display in a shadowbox.
"This is also the time to decide which photos will be shadowboxed, which ones will be popped up, and which will lie flat on the paper."
- 2 To practice moves without an actual opponent, often in front of a mirror.
"He was shadowboxing to keep fit and practice before the big fight."
- 3 go through boxing motions without an opponent wordnet
- 4 To engage in evasive maneuvers; to avoid addressing something directly.
"He wrapped himself forever in the garden of his mind showered with golden cataclysms, sun-explosive and shadowboxed all patentcy of death."
- 5 To argue with an imaginary enemy. figuratively
"Without being shadowboxed into psychedelic fears about losing Japan as a trader or as a friend — let us remind our Government today that Japan wants what we have and we want them to get what we have but not at the expense of our economy or at an unfair price."
Example
More examples"Simply constructed of wood, a shadowbox sign frame 6 inches deep, 11 inches wide and 70 inches long is suspended over the stairway of the Scott Sotre, 124 Fifth Avenue, Jamestown, N.D."
Etymology
From shadow + box (“cuboid container”).
From shadow + box (“to fight in a boxing match”).
More for "shadowbox"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.