Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A carton in which soap is packed.
  • noun A temporary platform used while making an impromptu or nonofficial public speech.
  • intransitive verb To engage in impromptu or nonofficial public speaking, often flamboyantly.
  • idiom (on (one's) soapbox) Speaking one's views passionately or self-importantly.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun 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.
  • noun figuratively, idiomatic A talk about one's pet topic (or the topic itself), especially when only tangentially relevant to an ongoing discussion.
  • noun a soapbox car
  • verb To give a speech from (or as if from) a soapbox.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a crate for packing soap
  • noun a platform raised above the surrounding level to give prominence to the person on it

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

soap +‎ box

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