packed
Americanadjective
-
filled to capacity; full.
They've had a packed theater for every performance.
-
pressed together; dense; compressed.
packed snow.
-
abundantly supplied with a specified element (used in combination).
an action-packed movie.
adjective
-
completely filled; full
a packed theatre
-
(of a picnic type of meal) prepared and put in a container or containers beforehand; prepacked
a packed lunch
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of packed
Explanation
Anything that's packed is either tightly compressed or extremely crowded, like the packed auditorium during your school's annual talent show. Use this adjective for things that are squeezed or pressed together, like a packed snowball or a packed cup of brown sugar. It's also useful for talking about overcrowded spaces of any kind, from a packed house at your band's show to a packed calendar that leaves you no time to catch up on your favorite TV show. A packed suitcase, on the other hand, is ready to go but not necessarily overstuffed.
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.
Tens of thousands of Kyiv residents have spent nights in the city’s subway during Russia’s recent missile barrages, turning stations into underground towns packed with yoga mats, camping chairs and tents.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 9, 2026
Creamy without being heavy, packed with herbs and unapologetically citrus-forward, it’s the sort of pasta salad that tastes like someone turned the saturation up on summer itself.
From Salon • Jul. 8, 2026
Fan zones and bars across the United States were often packed, with the national team's jerseys seen everywhere.
From BBC • Jul. 7, 2026
Mega master hearings have packed immigration courtrooms nationwide for the past two months, typically scheduling around 100 cases at one time.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 6, 2026
I grab one of her wellies I’d packed and stuff the memo down into the toe.
From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
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.
