shadowbox

/ˈʃædoʊˌbɑks/
noun
  1. A shallow, framed case used to display objects behind glass.
    • She hung a shadowbox on the wall to show her collection of seashells.
    • The medal was displayed in a wooden shadowbox.
    • He made a shadowbox for his grandfather's old pocket watch.
verb
  1. To practice boxing by throwing punches at an imaginary opponent, often for training or warm-up.
    • She shadowboxes every morning to improve her footwork and speed.
    • He put on his gloves and started to shadowbox in front of the mirror.
    • Before the match, the boxer spent ten minutes shadowboxing in the ring.
  2. To engage in a conflict or argument that is not real or direct, often by avoiding the real issue.
    • Stop shadowboxing and tell me what you actually want.
    • The politicians spent the debate shadowboxing instead of answering real questions.
    • They were shadowboxing around the topic of layoffs for weeks.
Synonyms