diff --git a/packages/react-instantsearch/src/connectors/connectSearchBox.js b/packages/react-instantsearch/src/connectors/connectSearchBox.js
index 95ba1a20e8..b27cc516d8 100644
--- a/packages/react-instantsearch/src/connectors/connectSearchBox.js
+++ b/packages/react-instantsearch/src/connectors/connectSearchBox.js
@@ -10,6 +10,9 @@ function getCurrentRefinement(props, searchState) {
   if (typeof searchState[id] !== 'undefined') {
     return searchState[id];
   }
+  if (typeof props.defaultRefinement === 'string') {
+    return props.defaultRefinement;
+  }
   return '';
 }
 
diff --git a/packages/react-instantsearch/src/connectors/connectSearchBox.test.js b/packages/react-instantsearch/src/connectors/connectSearchBox.test.js
index 4913bd7da2..5d8a2f851a 100644
--- a/packages/react-instantsearch/src/connectors/connectSearchBox.test.js
+++ b/packages/react-instantsearch/src/connectors/connectSearchBox.test.js
@@ -32,6 +32,14 @@ describe('connectSearchBox', () => {
     });
   });
 
+  it('supports defaultRefinement', () => {
+    expect(
+      getProvidedProps({defaultRefinement: 'yaw'}, {})
+    ).toEqual({
+      currentRefinement: 'yaw',
+    });
+  });
+
   it('refines the query parameter', () => {
     params = getSP(new SearchParameters(), {}, {query: 'bar'});
     expect(params.query).toBe('bar');
diff --git a/stories/SearchBox.stories.js b/stories/SearchBox.stories.js
index 98d3fec56c..40fc4b784e 100644
--- a/stories/SearchBox.stories.js
+++ b/stories/SearchBox.stories.js
@@ -12,7 +12,12 @@ stories.add('default', () =>
   <WrapWithHits searchBox={false} hasPlayground={true} linkedStoryGroup="SearchBox">
     <SearchBox/>
   </WrapWithHits>
-).add('playground', () =>
+).add('with a default query', () =>
+  <WrapWithHits searchBox={false} hasPlayground={true} linkedStoryGroup="SearchBox">
+    <SearchBox defaultRefinement="battery" />
+  </WrapWithHits>
+)
+.add('playground', () =>
   <WrapWithHits searchBox={false}>
     <SearchBox
       focusShortcuts={['s']}