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

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Etymology

Origin of carton

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

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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

But Smith said: "Right now, your washing machine is subject to more safety rules than AI. Every carton of milk that you see in the grocery store is subject to safety rules and inspection."

From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026

The officers have since thwarted roughly 400 master carton smuggling attempts, involving nearly 6,000 pre-labeled shipments of peptides.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 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

Suddenly, the half-empty carton of cream in the fridge, the berries on the brink of collapse and the hamburger buns lingering in the bread box stop looking like scraps and start looking like material.

From Salon ● May 25, 2026

First he put the carton down on top of the wagon and took things out of it.

From "Z for Zachariah" by Robert C. O’Brien

The five-term senator said the categories of products receiving exemptions include corrugated paper cartons, plastic boxes, plastic bags, refrigeration and freezing equipment, packing and wrapping machinery, and seaweed and algae products.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 23, 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

Deborah Oyaleke was sent into a large freezer room to verify cartons of frozen fish.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 7, 2026

Chinyere’s mistress was only one of many families on campus who were leaving; houseboys bought huge cartons in the market and cars drove out of compounds with their boots sunken by heavy loads.

From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

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Related Words

• container
• crate
• packet

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