carton

American  

[kahr-tn] / ˈkɑr tn /

noun

• cartons
  plural

1. a cardboard or plastic box used typically for storage or shipping.

2. the amount a carton can hold.

3. the contents of a carton.

4. a cardboardlike substance consisting of chewed plant material often mixed with soil, made by certain insects for building nests.

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verb (used with object)

1. to pack in a carton.

   to carton eggs for supermarket sales.

verb (used without object)

1. to make or form cardboard sheets into cartons.

carton British  

/ ˈkɑːtən /

noun

1. a cardboard box for containing goods

2. a container of waxed paper or plastic in which liquids, such as milk, are sold

3. shooting

   1. a white disc at the centre of a target

   2. a shot that hits this disc

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verb

1. to enclose (goods) in a carton

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• uncartoned
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• cartons
  plural

Etymology

Origin of carton

1780–90; < French < Italian cartone pasteboard; see cartoon

Explanation

A carton is a cardboard box or package. A pint of cream often comes in a carton. There are many different kinds of cartons, but most of them are packaging for some kind of consumer product, particularly food. There are egg cartons, milk cartons, and cigarette cartons, all of which are different shapes and made out of slightly different types of paperboard or lightweight cardboard. Carton has its root in the Medieval Latin word carta, "paper."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

carton cartons

She includes any information-seeking act, from a verbal interrogative to the sniff one might give a carton of milk to gauge its freshness.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026

Sipping a juice out of a carton -- his one indulgence for the game -- he came to the cafe after spending 20 hours without power at home.

From Barron's ● Jun. 14, 2026

The list price rose 5% to $4,193 for a carton, or one month’s supply.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 29, 2026

I get that affordability is the message, and as someone who bought both a steak and a carton of milk this week, I understand just how powerful that issue is.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 18, 2025

I grabbed one of the blueberries before Mom put the carton in her tote bag and popped it into my mouth.

From "From the Desk of Zoe Washington" by Janae Marks

Police said they recovered more than 2,100 pairs of Nike shoes and 150 cartons of clothing worth an estimated $500,000.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026

Patz was the first missing child to be featured on milk cartons as part of a nationwide search.

From Barron's ● Jun. 22, 2026

Influencers in cowboy hats chugged cartons of milk.

From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2026

At the site of the strike, items from the shop such as cartons of yoghurt and bottles of fizzy drinks were buried among the debris, along with household items including children's clothes and toys.

From BBC ● Mar. 14, 2026

But Mother warned us not to eat any of the chocolate spreads, jams, sliced breads, or cookies, or drink any of the chocolate milk in the cartons the soldiers regularly left behind.

From "Tasting the Sky" by Ibtisam Barakat

Related Words

• container
• crate
• packet