packet
Americannoun
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packets
plural
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a small group or package of anything.
a packet of letters.
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Also called packet ship, packet boat. a small vessel that carries mail, passengers, and goods regularly on a fixed route, especially on rivers or along coasts.
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Cards. a part of a pack of cards after being cut.
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Informal. a large amount of money.
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Computers. a relatively small unit of data sent over a network.
Every email you send and web page you browse is transferred to and from your device in a series of packets.
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British Slang.
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a painful blow or beating.
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misfortune or failure.
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verb (used with object)
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packets,
present (3rd person singular)
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packeted,
past participle, past
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packetted,
past participle, past (especially British)
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packeting,
present participle
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packetting
present participle (especially British)
noun
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Usual US and Canadian word: package, pack. a small or medium-sized container of cardboard, paper, etc, often together with its contents
a packet of biscuits
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a small package; parcel
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Also called: packet boat. a boat that transports mail, passengers, goods, etc, on a fixed short route
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slang a large sum of money
to cost a packet
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computing a unit into which a larger piece of data is broken down for more efficient transmission See also packet switching
verb
Synonym Usage
See package .
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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packetsimple
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packetssimple
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have packetedperfect
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have packettedperfect
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has packetedperfect
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has packettedperfect
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am packetingprogressive
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am packettingprogressive
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are packetingprogressive
-
are packettingprogressive
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is packetingprogressive
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is packettingprogressive
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have been packetingperfect progressive
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have been packettingperfect progressive
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has been packetingperfect progressive
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has been packettingperfect progressive
Past
-
packetedsimple
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packettedsimple
-
had packetedperfect
-
had packettedperfect
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was packetingprogressive
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was packettingprogressive
-
were packetingprogressive
-
were packettingprogressive
-
had been packetingperfect progressive
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had been packettingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of packet
First recorded in 1520–30; from Middle French pacquet, equivalent to pacqu(er) pack 1 + -et -et
Explanation
A packet is a container or bundle, like the tiny packet of pretzels they give you on an airplane or the packet of papers a teacher takes home to grade over the weekend. The word packet was first used in the 15th century, from the Middle English pak, or "bundle. Dating back to Britain's Tudor era, packet ships were mail boats that carried bundles of letters overseas. This entire industry of mail service was known as the "packet trade." Today the word packet is more likely to conjure images of things in small paper containers that can be torn open, like the packets of soy sauce you get with your take-out dinner.
Vocabulary lists containing packet
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"In Response to Executive Order 9066"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department reviewed the case and a DNA packet was sent to Jackson’s family and then returned.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
Costing about £40 per packet for her most expensive product, it's not going to replace the supermarket brands any time soon.
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
Once the Court had those documents and the amicus briefs, the whole packet was distributed to the justices at 10 separate conferences.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
While it’s probably a good idea to try and rely a bit less heavily on packaged snack foods, there’s no major danger from allowing your tiny humans to have their regular packet of fish-shaped crackers.
From Slate ● Sep. 14, 2026
My own stomach growling, I grabbed a packet of instant oatmeal.
From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas
Bottles of oil, packets of salt and a few tin cans lie among the debris.
From Barron's ● Sep. 27, 2026
Liquid IV is paying for its packets to pop up inside bridesmaid goody bags.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
There were packets of Hellmann’s mayonnaise and mustard at the counter, which helped, but only so much.
From Salon ● Jul. 30, 2026
Light delivers energy to the material in discrete, or quantized, packets known as photons.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 28, 2026
The sandwiches in their waxed-paper packets were for midmorning.
From "Lupita Mañana" by Patricia Beatty
The Poles, who spend the day in swimming shorts or underwear, change into their baggy uniforms and hunt-and-peck on the typewriters, turning out reports to be packeted to Can Tho.
From Time Magazine Archive
She spoke the last three words aloud in her intensity, so bitterly, that the two men, packeting together the papers, turned quickly.
From Little Miss By-The-Day by Lucille Van Slyke
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
