Meaning & use
box ears
Last updated
UK/ˈbɒks ɪəz/
US/ˈbɑːks ɪrz/
Meaning
phraseidiom
To strike someone, especially a child, on the side of the head with the open hand as a punishment.
Grammar: Always has a possessive: box someone's ears.
Patterns
- box someone's ears
In the story, the headmaster threatened to box the boy's ears.
My grandmother joked that she would box my ears if I was rude.
In those days a cheeky child might have his ears boxed.
Word forms
| past tense | boxed |
|---|---|
| -ing form | boxing |
Common combinations
- box someone's ears
- He wanted to box his brother's ears for the prank.
- get your ears boxed
- You'll get your ears boxed if you answer back.
- threaten to box someone's ears
- She threatened to box his ears for the mess.
- a box on the ears
- He received a box on the ears from the sergeant.
Synonyms and how they differ
- slap
- Slap is general and can hit any part of the body, while boxing ears targets the head.
- cuff
- Cuff is a lighter blow with the hand, often playful, so it is milder.
- clip
- Clip around the ear is a British informal expression with a similar meaning.
- smack
- Smack suggests a sharper blow and is not limited to the ears.
Word family
Commonly confused: box ears or box in?
box ears vs box in
Box in means to trap someone in a space, not to strike them.
Practice
If a teacher threatened to box a pupil's ears, he meant to
Choose one answer.
Boxing someone's ears is an old-fashioned punishment of hitting the head. The other options misread box literally.
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