From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishbox somebody/something ↔ in phrasal verb1 AROUND/ROUNDto surround someone or something so that they are unable to move freely Someone had parked right behind them, boxing them in.2 feel boxed in a) LIMITto feel that you cannot do what you want to do because a person or situation is limiting you Married for only a year, Connie already felt boxed in. b) MOVE/CHANGE POSITIONto feel that you cannot move freely, because you are in a small space → box→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
box in• In one she has packed the leftover cake, in its box.• Cutting letter box slots in doors is a job most of us have to do once or twice in a decade.• All I could think of was that box had some one in it who I loved - Peter.• Lawmakers have virtually boxed themselves in on this one.• When they opened the trailer door, I could see the cabbage boxes were stacked in the back.• You may be wondering why we wired over the box we installed in the barn.• Among the sights, the Box Tunnel in the Cotswolds.• For example, Houston Rockets star Clyde Drexler was on a box once in the Portland area.feel boxed in• Married for only six months, Dawn already felt boxed in. 