parcel
Americannoun
-
an object, article, container, or quantity of something wrapped or packed up; small package; bundle.
-
a quantity or unit of something, as of a commodity for sale; lot.
-
a group, collection, or assemblage of persons or things.
- Synonyms:
- assortment, batch
-
a distinct, continuous portion or tract of land.
-
a part, portion, or fragment.
verb (used with object)
adverb
noun
-
something wrapped up; package
-
a group of people or things having some common characteristic
-
a quantity of some commodity offered for sale; lot
-
a distinct portion of land
-
an essential part of something (esp in the phrase part and parcel )
verb
-
(often foll by up) to make a parcel of; wrap up
-
(often foll by out) to divide (up) into portions
-
nautical to bind strips of canvas around (a rope)
adverb
Synonym Usage
See package.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of parcel
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English, from Middle French parcelle, from unattested Late Latin particella, fresh formation for Latin particula; see particle, passel
Explanation
A parcel is a part of something, or a division. It can also be a package or a collection of things wrapped together. Parcel comes from the Anglo-Norman word for "part." Often when we use parcel to mean a part, we're talking about land, which is divided into definable (and purchasable) tracts. As a verb, parcel means to divide something into parts, just as after trick-or-treating you might parcel your candy stash into piles of chocolates, peppermints, or toffees. If you're selling the family farm, you might parcel it into four small plots.
Vocabulary lists containing parcel
"The Great Gatsby," Chapter 1 Vocabulary
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Maus I: My Father Bleeds History
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Revolution in Our Time
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
With all the donations, the San Bernardino Mountains Land Trust can purchase the parcel, as well as cover closing costs, taxes, legal fees and some maintenance of the land.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
Inside her car they discovered designer sunglasses, cash, multiple items of jewellery, a Rolex watch and a parcel containing fake US dollars.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
The Hong Kong-listed logistics operator reported a 24% rise in total parcel volume, with a 63% gain in Southeast Asia and an 11% increase in China, the analysts say.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
But, according to Benson, one of the property’s most alluring features is the incredible privacy that it offers thanks to the sprawling 25-acre parcel that it occupies.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 7, 2026
All the years of Theo supporting Vincent, carrying his parcel, all Vincent's hard work—it was worth it.
From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman
Because many parcels remain undeveloped in the farther reaches of Lehigh Acres, streets often contain an unorthodox mix of sleek new homes, 1970s-style ranch houses and empty, overgrown lots.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
She runs an organisation supporting other women who have been detained, and, using a secret network, helps send parcels from families to those still in captivity.
From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026
To check whether specific parcels are included in the ordinance, follow this link and check the box that says “Opportunity Station Sites Eligible for Low Rise.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
Lange pointed to data showing that since 2022, small parcels from abroad have more than quadrupled: from 1.39 billion to 5.88 billion in 2025.
From Barron's ● Jun. 30, 2026
To the right they passed patches of mangrove forest and small parcels of land, rice paddies, and chili pepper fields.
From "Tiger Boy" by Mitali Perkins
The acres parceled out for Stratos all lie on private, unzoned property, and the landowners there had already granted their blessing.
From Slate ● Jun. 1, 2026
Certain credits are parceled out quarterly or even monthly, and premium cards can have the feel of a coupon book.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2025
He was a prolific writer and he parceled out songs to people that he cared about or was working with.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 18, 2025
Situated on the sunny second floor, it was one of four flats parceled out in the 1950s from a 14th-century Tuscan estate, Villa di Marignolle, that once belonged to the Medicis.
From New York Times ● Mar. 18, 2024
His mail shirt and helm were parceled out.
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
In the run-up to “One Battle After Another,” DiCaprio played the traditional role of the elusive movie star, parceling out access and promotional appearances.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 12, 2026
But the league is also parceling off more rights and three of the next seven Stanley Cup Finals to a secondary bidder.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 13, 2021
Narrative agency is what interests the author, her manner of parceling out information evoking at times the fragmentary and diaristic sensibilities of Jenny Offill’s “Dept. of Speculation.”
From New York Times ● Jan. 7, 2020
A parliamentary investigative committee questioned Akoub about that deal, as well as real-estate repossession and the parceling off of state land.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 11, 2019
Or was it just more of the same parceling out of fortunes that had brought us this far, to this place where our path would finally divide into two?
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
Just open up a page and experience the meditative calm of reading alphabetized lists that are parcelled into neat little sections.
From Slate ● Feb. 14, 2020
"It has all been a retro-rush. Weekly episodes parcelled out like old times. Cliffhangers you talked about next day by the new watercooler, Twitter."
From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2018
The Ottomans’ former Arab possessions were parcelled out as “mandates” under the new League of Nations: France got Syria and Lebanon while Palestine, Iraq and Transjordan went to Britain.
From The Guardian ● Feb. 16, 2017
Individual land ownership is often ineffectual for forests and rangelands, which lose their value when parcelled up.
From Economist ● Jul. 14, 2016
That first captain walled their promontory, built their homes and shrines, and parcelled out the black land for the plow.
From "The Odyssey" by Homer
Congo-Brazzaville's government has already begun parcelling out blocks of land and looking for potential investors, although there is some uncertainty about the extent and significance of the oil reserves.
From BBC ● Jun. 16, 2022
Given all this filtering and parcelling out, it’s not surprising that memory is imperfect.
From The Guardian ● Oct. 12, 2014
And once you begin parcelling out roles rather than wrapping them together in a single nightmare bundle, it gets rather easier to find George Entwistle's successor.
From The Guardian ● Nov. 18, 2012
Popular in Czechoslovakia is the Government's policy of seizing the broad acres of great nobles and parcelling them out among the poor.
From Time Magazine Archive
If it avoid the parcelling of virtue into a number of imperfect and sometimes contradictory parts, it does so only to present a bare negation.
From Hegel's Philosophy of Mind by Hegel, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
