box formationn.
/ˈbɒks fɔːˌmeɪʃn/, /ˈbɒks fəˌmeɪʃn/, U.S. /ˈbɑks ˌfɔrˌmeɪʃən/, /ˈbɑks fərˌmeɪʃən/ 1. Sport (chiefly American Football, Basketball, etc.). A square arrangement of (usually four) players.
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1914 Sunday Oregonian (Portland, Oregon) 11 Oct. 3/4 A ‘box’ formation, with the four backfield men forming a square, will alternate with the direct pass formation used last Fall.
1924 N.Y. Times 7 Dec. 2 s/8 The backfield moved slowly in box formation.
2004 K. Atkins Basketball Offenses & Plays iii. x. 157/2 Players begin in box formation with big players high and shooters low.
2. Military. A square or compact arrangement of troops or other forces; spec. a diamond-shaped formation of four planes or more. Cf. box n.2 26a.
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society > armed hostility > military operations > distribution of troops > formation > [noun] > compact formation > specific
Macedonian phalanx1585
box formation1932
1932 Times 18 June 8/2 With the box formation, the arrow line, line abreast, and flights astern.
1946 G. Gibson Enemy Coast Ahead ix. 121 They looped and rolled in perfect box formation.
1981 P. H. Capstick Death in Silent Places ii. 41 Through it, in classic British Army box formation, weaves the Equatorial Battalion.
1994 M. Moynihan War Correspondent vii. 58 The three squadrons of Mitchells flying in box formation, rising and dipping in the sunlight.
2016 A. Mottram Paralegic Heroes xlv. 260 They linked up with the rest of the men and formed a solid box formation in a group of trees.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2021; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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