Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Wiktionary
n. (context automotive English) '''1939''' A compartment recessed in an automobile’s dashboard, that usually has a door and can be locked, intended to hold gloves, papers, etc.
WordNet
n. compartment on the dashboard of a car
Wikipedia
A glove compartment or glovebox or glovie is a compartment built into the dashboard, located over the front-seat passenger's footwell in an automobile, often used for miscellaneous storage. The name derives from the original purpose of the compartment, to store gloves. (Often in a box on the floorboard near the driver, hence "glovebox".) In most vehicles, the glove compartment closes with a latch, with the option of being locked with a key (often desirable when using valet service, or when parking while the convertible top is down, or when the compartment contains a mechanism to open the trunk).
Gloves were originally worn to keep the hands clean. Driving gloves were considered necessary equipment in early cars, many without a hard top, to prevent the cooling effect of fast-moving air from numbing drivers' hands.
In some vehicles, the inside of the compartment's door may have an area for holding cups when open, and a section for holding a pen or pencil. In some newer cars, the glove compartment is temperature controlled, allowing for its use as a cooler. In others, such as the Toyota Yaris hatchback, multiple glove compartments are provided.
A glove compartment is occasionally called a jockey box, especially in the United States (the upper Rocky Mountain states, such as Idaho). In South Africa, the glove compartment is called a cubby-hole.
According to the BBC Four programme " Penelope Keith and the Fast Lady", Dorothy Levitt first coined the phrase glove compartment as she advised motorists to carry a number of pairs of gloves to deal with many eventualities.
In the past, glove compartments typically had an internal light, which automatically turned on when the box was opened, facilitating the finding of materials therein. During the 2000s, many manufacturers started omitting the glove compartment light to cut costs; this included luxury vehicles. To date, aftermarket parts manufacturers have not provided solutions for this omission.
Usage examples of "glove compartment".
Jan shouted, rooting in the glove compartment for a roadmap, jamming in the cigar lighter at the same time.
While a soldier with a rifle covered Reynolds from the left-hand side, Szendro stooped inside the other door, opened the glove compartment in front of Reynolds, fetched out two lengths of thin chain and left the glove box open.
He reached for the glove compartment and fished out a plastic flask from among all the camouflage and passed it to me.
But if you mean business, there is a box of buckshot in the glove compartment.
Though it was a crazy idea, Travis suspected that the retriever did not wish to draw attention to itself and that it revealed its uncanny intelligence only in times of crisis (as in the woods), or if it was very hungry (as when it had opened the glove compartment in the truck to obtain the candy bar), or if no one was watching (as when it had turned on the water faucet).
He felt like going out to his car, getting his pistol from the glove compartment, and shooting her face off, bursting her skull and eyes to bits.
After her came nothing worth mentioning, so he removed the string that held the glove compartment shut and got out a pack of cigarettes.