1
: a usually complicated electronic device whose internal mechanism is usually hidden from or mysterious to the user
broadly
: anything that has mysterious or unknown internal functions or mechanisms
2
: a crashworthy device in aircraft for recording cockpit conversations and flight data
3
: a device in an automobile that records information (such as speed, temperature, or gasoline efficiency) which can be used to monitor vehicle performance or determine a cause in the event of an accident
: being or containing a warning of a serious or life-threatening side effect (such as stroke or muscle damage) that is highlighted by a black border on a prescription drug's label or accompanying literature
Examples of black box in a Sentence
Noun
The black boxes were recovered from the crash site and provided useful information about the cause of the crash.
Recent Examples on the Web
Mark Ewing, Forbes, 29 Oct. 2024
Pierre Niney stars in the film as a skilled black box analyst investigating the deadly crash of a brand new aircraft.
—Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 29 Oct. 2024
Brian Cheung, NBC News, 13 Mar. 2023
Since then, most dating app companies take a black box approach and don’t talk publicly about what factors into their algorithms.
—WIRED, 14 Feb. 2023
See all Example Sentences for black box 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
Thanks to excellent scripting and black box work, the gas engine syncs up with the car’s speed and your demand for acceleration without hiccup or bucking or anything other than a rush of power.
—Mark Ewing, Forbes, 29 Oct. 2024
Pierre Niney stars in the film as a skilled black box analyst investigating the deadly crash of a brand new aircraft.
—Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 29 Oct. 2024
Adjective
The 200-person company, which operates physical locations resembling old-school general stores that also include black box theater spaces, rolled out a sweeping discount offer to pull in cash, founder and CEO Ben Kaufman said.
—Brian Cheung, NBC News, 13 Mar. 2023
Since then, most dating app companies take a black box approach and don’t talk publicly about what factors into their algorithms.
—WIRED, 14 Feb. 2023
See all Example Sentences for black box
Articles Related to black box
Dictionary Entries Near black box
Cite this Entry
“Black box.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/black%20box. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
black box
adjective
: being or containing a warning of a serious or life-threatening side effect (as stroke, muscle damage, or suicidal tendencies) that is highlighted by a black border on a prescription drug's label or accompanying literature
A "black box" warning is the most serious warning placed in the labeling of a prescription medication.—Johnathan D. Rockoff, The Fort Worth (Texas) Star-Telegram
Johnathan D. Rockoff, The Fort Worth (Texas) Star-TelegramLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share