Glove compartment

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For the sealed container for handling hazardous materials, see glovebox.

A glove compartment (or glovebox in British English) 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. In most vehicles, the glove compartment closes with a latch, with the option of being locked with a key (often necessary when using valet service, or when parking while the convertible top is down). Gloves were originally considered necessary equipment in early cars, many without a hard top, to prevent the cooling effect of fast-moving air from freeze numbing drivers' hands.

A glove compartment is occasionally referred to as a "jockey box," especially in the U.S. Pacific Northwest.