1. a very hot, poorly ventilated room or enclosed space
Usage: informal
2. a small, cramped prison cell used for punishment
Usage: historical
3. a sauna or steam room
Usage: informal

Examples

• The old classroom became a sweatbox during the summer heat wave.
• Without air conditioning, the car turned into a sweatbox in the parking lot.
• The prisoners dreaded being thrown into the sweatbox for solitary confinement.
• Historical accounts describe the sweatbox as a cruel form of punishment.
• After the workout, they relaxed in the gym’s sweatbox.
• The tiny apartment felt like a sweatbox with no ventilation.
• Workers complained that the factory floor was a sweatbox in July.