carton

[kahr-tn]

noun

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.

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

/ 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

verb

1. to enclose (goods) in a carton

Other Word Forms

• uncartoned adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of carton¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of carton¹

C19: from French, from Italian cartone pasteboard, from carta _card ¹

Example Sentences

The recalled products were distributed between June 16 and July 9 in California and Nevada, with the code CA 7695 on the carton.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

An aggressive missing person's campaign featured the boy's face on milk cartons and posters across the US.

Read more on BBC

A few are also making memes of so-called “chicken dealers” whose illicit product of choice are cartons of eggs as opposed to hard drugs.

Read more on Salon

Bananas are often left to languish in tote bags; berries go soft in their cartons.

Read more on Salon

"Canada charges for our dairy products 270%. Nobody knows that. They charge you 2% for the first two cartons of milk and after that you go up to 270," Trump said.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• container 
• crate 
• packet