Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. A carton in which soap is packed.
- n. A temporary platform used while making an impromptu or nonofficial public speech.
- v. Informal To engage in impromptu or nonofficial public speaking, often flamboyantly.
- idiom. on (one's) soapbox Speaking one's views passionately or self-importantly.
Wiktionary
- n. literally A crate for packing soap, or, by extension, any inexpensive crude platform raised above the surrounding level to give prominence to the person on it, especially when used for speeches.
- n. figuratively, idiomatic A talk about one's pet topic (or the topic itself), especially when only tangentially relevant to an ongoing discussion.
- n. a soapbox car
- v. To give a speech from (or as if from) a soapbox.
WordNet 3.0
- n. a crate for packing soap
- n. a platform raised above the surrounding level to give prominence to the person on it
Etymologies
- soap + box (Wiktionary)
Examples
“The only real reason to target vices for taxation besides our Puritanical politicians on their soapbox is that tobacco and alcohol are very inelastic goods.”
“If it weren't that they'd throw a massive amount of money at fixing a problem that doesn't need government's money to fix (It needs government to but the hell out and let the market correct itself and settle back down; but that's another conversation for another day, as I'm digressing, and the soapbox is getting a little rickety), I'd support them just to show how disillusioned I am with their party ...”
“You guys just seem upset that his soapbox is taller than yours.”
The Dark Knight: An Extraordinary Cinematic Revolution « FirstShowing.net
“The soapbox is a crudely painted recycled wooden crate that belongs to another of my students; she hauls it to various public events in Detroit.”
“A soapbox was the chair on which Nellie had been sitting; there was no other.”
“And the evangelist on the soapbox is a friend of his.”
“The soapbox will be her cell, for it was so small she could not lie down in it.”
“May has been vocal in his online "soapbox" - "I was doing it long before anyone used the word blog" - in opposing any repeal of the fox-hunting ban.”
Telegraph.co.uk - Telegraph online, Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph
“DON GONYEA: There's a small lot on the main thoroughfare at the state fairgrounds that's called the soapbox.”
“Any declared candidate is allowed to speak on the soapbox, which is sponsored by the Des Moines Register.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘soapbox’.
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gre2
aberrant, aberration, aboveboard, abrasive, abstemious, acme, admonish, affable, affluent, alacrity, allegory, alleviate and 1824 more...
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X Marks the Spot
Words ending in "x" (except proper nouns and trademarks)
ax, ex, ox, soapbox, smallpox, six, sex, sax, rex, pressbox, climax, chickenpox and 208 more...
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And another
retrocausality, brusque, gainsay, cheerio, jaundiced, chamois, caw, craw, fudge, bubbler, shebang, bolo and 244 more...
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My Revised GRE Preparation List
Words from the new GRE : This list consists mostly of words from the book Magoosh-GRE-vocab-ebook, which is one of the best vocab materials available, especially if you have started preparing one ...
mulct, dupe, pittance, stipend, defray, cupidity, avarice, prodigal, profligate, affluent, insolvent, penurious and 533 more...
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S is for Sweater Puppy
My S Words
secret agent, sweater puppy, skivvies, soda jerk, surly, space madness, sad sack, sadsack, scoundrel, scrabble, shaken teddy bear..., saucy and 181 more...
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Permutations
There are 17576 different sequences of three letters (26 x 26 x 26). How many of them occur in words? General rules of engagement: mononyms only, lower case preferred to upper case, short preferred...
aaargh, niqaabi, Isaac, raad, baaed, haaf, laager, aah, kamaaina, Naajaat, aak, aalii and 637 more...
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Brooklyns Finest (2009)
Words from a 2009 'Brooklyns Finest' film.
pier, pull over, bookie, gwap, precinct, larceny, stain, perp, commissioner, rookie, hairbag, seasoned and 9 more...
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A Soapy List
soapbox, soapstone, soap opera, soapie, soapstar, docusoap, soft-soap, toilet-soap, tooth-soap, soapsuds, soapmaking, soap-boiler and 49 more...
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Box It Up
abox, bandbox, beatbox, boxboard, boxcar, boxful, boxlike, boxy, breadbox, cashbox, chatterbox, firebox and 30 more...
Tweets
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