package
Americannoun
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packages
plural
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a bundle of something, usually of small or medium size, that is packed and wrapped or boxed; parcel.
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a container, as a box or case, in which something is or may be packed.
- Synonyms:
- carton
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something conceived of as a compact unit having particular characteristics.
That child is a package of mischief.
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the packing of goods, freight, etc.
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a finished product contained in a unit that is suitable for immediate installation and operation, as a power or heating unit.
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a group, combination, or series of related parts or elements to be accepted or rejected as a single unit.
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a complete program produced for the theater, television, etc., or a series of these, sold as a unit.
verb (used with object)
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packages,
present (3rd person singular)
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packaged,
past participle, past
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packaging
present participle
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to make or put into a package.
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to design and manufacture a package for (a product or series of related products).
They package their soaps in eye-catching wrappers.
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to group or combine (a series of related parts) into a single unit.
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to combine the various elements of (a tour, entertainment, etc.) for sale as a unit.
noun
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any wrapped or boxed object or group of objects
-
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a proposition, offer, or thing for sale in which separate items are offered together as a single or inclusive unit
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( as modifier )
a package holiday
a package deal
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a complete unit consisting of a number of component parts sold separately
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the act or process of packing or packaging
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computing a set of programs designed for a specific type of problem in statistics, production control, etc, making it unnecessary for a separate program to be written for each problem
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another word for pack 1
verb
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to wrap in or put into a package
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to design and produce a package for (retail goods)
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to group (separate items) together as a single unit
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to compile (complete books) for a publisher to market
Synonym Usage
Package, pack, packet, parcel refer to a bundle or to something fastened together. A package is a bundle of things packed and wrapped: a package from the drugstore. A pack is a large bundle or bale of things put or fastened together, usually wrapped up or in a bag, case, etc., to be carried by a person or a beast of burden: a peddler's pack. A packet, originally a package of letters or dispatches, is a small package or bundle: a packet of gems. A parcel is an object or objects wrapped up to form a single, small bundle: a parcel containing two dresses.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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subpackagenoun
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mispackageverb (used with object)
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mispackagedadjective
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packageableadjective
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unpackagedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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packagesimple
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packagessimple
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have packagedperfect
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has packagedperfect
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am packagingprogressive
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are packagingprogressive
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is packagingprogressive
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have been packagingperfect progressive
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has been packagingperfect progressive
Past
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packagedsimple
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had packagedperfect
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was packagingprogressive
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were packagingprogressive
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had been packagingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of package
First recorded in 1605–15, package is from the Dutch word pakkage “baggage.” See pack 1, -age
Explanation
A package is a wrapped bundle or a container of something. If you order new socks online, they'll be delivered to your door in a package a few days later. A package might be wrapped in colorful wrapping paper, or it may simply be a container that holds an item or a collection of them, like a package of peppermints. To package is to enclose something in a box or other container: "You should package your brownies and sell them at the farmer's market!" Package stems either from the noun pack, or possibly from the Dutch pakkage, or "baggage."
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:
Paramount will pay interest as high as 9.1% on a package of investment-grade and junk-rated bonds that mature between 2028 and 2066.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026
Government sources in Berlin said they were expected to shake hands on a new package of military support worth more than $1 billion.
From Barron's ● Oct. 4, 2026
It reports that proposals include scrapping a key disability benefit for under-25s and replacing it with a multibillion-pound package of support to get into work.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
One of them is Charter Amendment PL, a package of five proposals that would streamline certain parts of the Planning Department, which controls land use, signs off on construction and renovation projects and guides growth.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
I quickly poured the gunpowder into a little muslin sack that the spicers used to package their goods for customers.
From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri
Season-ticket packages had been available, guaranteeing seats for each London game with a discount, but they were scrapped after the 2024 season.
From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026
It was like Christmas every Wednesday afternoon as we shredded packages and stacked CDs, occasional stickers and vinyl, splitting the spoils and loading them into our computers — by hand even!
From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026
Culver City-based DLVR, an independent logistics company contracted to deliver packages to Amazon customers, will close permanently.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
The pay packages also typically include car allowances and bonus opportunities, she said.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 2, 2026
On the way through the corridors he stopped to pick up the packages he had left at the door of the ward.
From "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers
The wish-granting branch packaged in an eye-catching box is flanked by framed photos of “Obsession,” the small-scale horror film turned global box-office smash to which it is central.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026
When police were called to investigate, they found more than 800 devices, packaged in batches of five, stacked into nine boxes, some wrapped in foil, others in bubble wrap.
From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026
The main consumers buying Kevin’s meals are millennial men, making the brand an anomaly among packaged foods.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
"Why rely on horse antibodies when nature has packaged an effective antidote right there in the snake?"
From Science Daily ● Sep. 8, 2026
The molecule had to be able to carry vast amounts of information, yet be compact enough to be packaged into cells.
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
Marcelo Peressim, 50, who owns a packaging company, came out to Flavio Bolsonaro's rally with a portrait of the candidate's father.
From Barron's ● Oct. 3, 2026
Both packaging and online product detail pages are permitted to provide an outbound link to a dedicated webpage on the manufacturer’s website to display the full list of ingredients.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026
The Laughing Cow isn’t laughing on cryptic new packaging.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026
Deutsche Bank analyst Steve Powers on Monday said that some price increases were understandable, given higher costs for fuel, ingredients, packaging and shipping.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 28, 2026
“Without them, you wouldn’t have your bottled vitamin water, your eye shadows, the packaging on your favorite perfume, your colored contact lenses, clothes, hair color, and nail polish.”
From "Beauty Queens" by Libba Bray
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.
