pack
1a group of things wrapped or tied together for easy handling or carrying; a bundle, especially one to be carried on the back of an animal or a person: a mule pack; a hiker's pack.
a definite quantity or standard measure of something wrapped up or otherwise assembled for merchandising (sometimes used in combination): a pack of cigarettes; a six-pack of beer.
the quantity of something that is packaged, canned, or the like, at one time, in one season, etc.: last year's salmon pack.
a group of people or things: a pack of fools; a pack of lies.
a group of certain animals of the same kind, especially predatory ones: a pack of wolves.
Hunting. a number of hounds, especially foxhounds and beagles, regularly used together in a hunt.
a complete set of playing cards, usually 52 in number; deck.
a considerable area of pieces of floating ice driven or packed together.
Metalworking. a pile of metal sheets for hot-rolling together.
Medicine/Medical.
a wrapping of the body in wet or dry cloths for therapeutic purposes.
the cloths so used.
Obsolete. the state of being so wrapped.
Mining.
Also called pack wall . a rubble wall for supporting a roof.
any of various other roof supports of timber, timber and rubble, or rubble and wire mesh.
a cosmetic material, usually of a pastelike consistency, applied either to the face or to the hair and scalp: a mud pack; a beauty pack; a henna pack.
Obsolete. a plot; conspiracy.
Obsolete. a low or worthless person.
to make into a pack or bundle.
to form into a group or compact mass.
to fill with anything compactly arranged: to pack a trunk.
to put into or arrange compactly in a trunk, valise, etc., as for traveling or storage: I packed a two-week supply of clothes for the trip.
to press or crowd together within; cram: The crowd packed the gallery.
to prepare for marketing by putting into containers or packages: to pack fruit for shipping.
to make airtight, vaportight, or watertight by stuffing: to pack the piston of a steam engine.
to cover or envelop with something pressed closely around.
to load, as with packs: We packed the mules and then set off for the lake.
to carry or wear, especially as part of one's usual equipment: to pack a gun.
Informal. to deliver (a powerful blow, strong message, etc.): He packs a better punch than any heavyweight in years.His speech packed a powerful plea for peace.
to treat with a therapeutic pack.
to place goods into containers in compact form, as for transportation or storage (often followed by up): I've packed up for the move, so I can't access my fabrics.
to place clothes and personal items in a suitcase, trunk, etc., preparatory to traveling: Make sure to pack lightly for this trip to Italy!
to be capable of or suitable for compact storage or packing for transportation: articles that pack well.
to crowd together, as persons: The audience packed into the auditorium.
to become compacted: Wet snow packs readily.
to collect into a group: The grouse began to pack.
to wear or carry a weapon, especially a gun: If she's arrested while she's packing, the sentence might be harsher.
to create a penile bulge in the crotch of one’s clothing using a prosthesis, padding, or other object of phallic shape, often done by gender-diverse people as part of their gender expression: I wasn't going to pack today, but I didn't feel as comfortable without it.
transporting, or used in transporting, a pack or load: pack animals.
compressed into a pack; packed.
used in or adapted for packing: pack equipment.
Chiefly Scot. (of animals) tame.
pack in / up to relinquish or give up; quit: One failure was no reason to pack the whole experiment in.After thirty years of touring, the violinist packed his career up and retired.
pack off / away
to dispatch: We packed the kids off to camp for the summer.
to leave hastily.
Idioms about pack
pack it in,
to give up; abandon one's efforts: Ten years ago we packed it in and moved back to Florida.
to cease being a nuisance.
Origin of pack
1synonym study For pack
Other words for pack
Words Nearby pack
Other definitions for pack (2 of 3)
to choose, collect, arrange, or manipulate (cards, persons, facts, etc.) so as to serve one's own purposes: to pack the deck; to pack a jury.
Origin of pack
2Other definitions for pack (3 of 3)
Scot. very friendly or intimate.
Origin of pack
3Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use pack in a sentence
For the uninitiated, the road to Hana is that legendary 51 miles from Kahului packed with tight turns, one-lane bridges and enough waterfalls to fill an SD card.
Google is now labeling businesses in co-working spaces with a “coworking office space” label in the local pack within the search results.
Is Google moving toward being search marketing’s point of singularity: Thursday’s daily brief | Carolyn Lyden | February 11, 2021 | Search Engine LandTherapists who work with adolescents say that for many of their clients, the quarantine, especially early last spring, felt like a release valve to their pressure-packed lives.
It also locks, which means they won’t have worry about it turning on inside their pack and draining the three AAA batteries inside.
Outdoorsy Gear Guy–Approved Valentine's Day Gifts | Joe Jackson | February 10, 2021 | Outside OnlineThese typically last between 30 minutes to an hour, though you can extend the heating time by adding extra packs or keeping them in coat pockets.
Best hand warmers: Block the chill during your favorite winter activities | PopSci Commerce Team | February 10, 2021 | Popular-Science
“Change can be exciting,” Cuomo says to Richards as he helps her pack up her office.
Mario Cuomo, Ann Richards Concede to Doritos | The Daily Beast Video | January 2, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTWhile some stray from the fold, most stay with the same pack their entire lives.
Mongooses, Meerkats, and Ants, Oh My! Why Some Animals Keep Mating All in the Family | Helen Thompson | December 29, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTAnd lo, Snowballs—underpants which can hold a flexible gel pack that you store in the freezer—was born.
Men, Ice Your Balls To Make Babies—and Other Male Fertility Fixes | Tom Sykes | December 22, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTPlus the notion of the poor little guy surrounded by a rag-tag pack of true believers is an American favorite.
Honey Boo Boo, Snake Oil, and Ebola: The Weird World of Young Living Essential Oils | Kent Sepkowitz | December 5, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTNew York City boasts the highest cost for cigarettes in the nation, with a pack ranging anywhere from $12 and up.
Eric Garner Was Choked to Death for Selling Loosies | Nick Gillespie | December 3, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe party was made up of six men on horseback, two tame buffaloes, and a pack of immense dogs used to hunting.
Alila, Our Little Philippine Cousin | Mary Hazelton WadeThere was no fight in his men; they ran like a pack of frightened coyotes at the first crack of a gun.
The Courier of the Ozarks | Byron A. DunnDorothy cleared off the table, and went to her own room to pack up her clothes, and prepare for her journey.
The World Before Them | Susanna MoodieThen we mounted and took to the trail again, stripped down to fighting-trim, unhampered by a pack-horse.
Raw Gold | Bertrand W. SinclairThe pack-horses, with no riders at their heels to guide them, had tangled each other in the connecting-rope and stopped.
Raw Gold | Bertrand W. Sinclair
British Dictionary definitions for pack (1 of 2)
/ (pæk) /
a bundle or load, esp one carried on the back
(as modifier): a pack animal
a collected amount of anything
a complete set of similar things, esp a set of 52 playing cards
a group of animals of the same kind, esp hunting animals: a pack of hounds
any group or band that associates together, esp for criminal purposes
rugby the forwards of a team or both teams collectively, as in a scrum or in rucking
the basic organizational unit of Cub Scouts and Brownie Guides
a small package, carton, or container, used to retail commodities, esp foodstuffs, cigarettes, etc
(in combination): pack-sealed
US and Canadian a small or medium-sized container of cardboard, paper, etc, often together with its contents: Also called (in Britain and certain other countries): packet
short for pack ice
the quantity of something, such as food, packaged for preservation
med
a sheet or blanket, either damp or dry, for wrapping about the body, esp for its soothing effect
a material such as cotton or gauze for temporarily filling a bodily cavity, esp to control bleeding
mining a roof support, esp one made of rubble
short for face pack
a parachute folded and ready for use
computing another name for deck (def. 5)
go to the pack Australian and NZ informal to fall into a lower state or condition
to place or arrange (articles) in (a container), such as clothes in a suitcase
(tr) to roll up into a bundle
(when passive, often foll by out) to press tightly together; cram: the audience packed into the foyer; the hall was packed out
(tr; foll by in or into) to fit (many things, experiences, etc) into a limited space or time: she packed a lot of theatre visits into her holiday
to form (snow, ice, etc) into a hard compact mass or (of snow, ice, etc) to become compacted
(tr) to press in or cover tightly: to pack a hole with cement
(tr) to load (a horse, donkey, etc) with a burden
(often foll by off or away) to send away or go away, esp hastily
(tr) to seal (a joint) by inserting a layer of compressible material between the faces
(tr) to fill (a bearing or gland) with grease to lubricate it
(tr) to separate (two adjoining components) so that they have a predetermined gap between them, by introducing shims, washers, plates, etc
(tr) med to treat with a pack
(tr) slang to be capable of inflicting (a blow): he packs a mean punch
(tr) US informal to carry or wear habitually: he packs a gun
(intr often foll by down) rugby to form a scrum
(tr; often foll by into, to, etc) US, Canadian and NZ to carry (goods), esp on the back: will you pack your camping equipment into the mountains?
pack one's bags informal to get ready to leave
send packing informal to dismiss peremptorily
Origin of pack
1Derived forms of pack
- packable, adjective
British Dictionary definitions for pack (2 of 2)
/ (pæk) /
(tr) to fill (a legislative body, committee, etc) with one's own supporters: to pack a jury
Origin of pack
2Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with pack
In addition to the idioms beginning with pack
- pack a punch
- packed in like sardines
- pack it in
- pack off
- pack them in
also see:
- Joe six-pack
- send someone about his or her business (packing)
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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