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

"There are more safety rules for a carton of milk than for AI. There are more safety rules for your oven than for AI," he told the conference.

From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026

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

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

Others, including an Egg McMuffin carton, lunchboxes and food-themed Barbies, are simply mounted on the wall.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 15, 2026

They ate potatoes, tomatoes, and bread for supper and passed around the carton of milk.

From "Homecoming" by Cynthia Voigt

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

Customs and Border Protection officers at the port of Cincinnati identified roughly 5,000 shipments of unapproved peptides, including retatrutide, shipped through large cartons.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 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

I imagined the truck full of stacks and stacks of foreign money, wondered if they had put the money in many cartons or in one huge carton, the size our fridge came in.

From "Purple Hibiscus" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

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Related Words

• container
• crate
• packet

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