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.

---

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

---

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

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

If they were loose, she folded a carton in the shape of a heart to fill in the space.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 30, 2025

I’ve been quietly working on this one for months — a small obsession that started as a way to use up a half-empty carton of buttermilk and turned, somehow, into a quest.

From Salon • Nov. 4, 2025

He pulled a radio-controlled model of Batman’s black car from the carton.

From "Firegirl" by Tony Abbott

Related Words

• container
• crate
• packet