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.
At a mid-range seafood restaurant in Taipei, packed with locals under swirling orange artwork, a squat robot server rolled between the tables ferrying dishes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
Fans packed the stands — over 3 million each year from 2003 to 2019, the third-longest streak in baseball.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026
About 2 cups finely shredded zucchini, loosely packed and squeezed dry with a paper towel.
From Salon ● Aug. 31, 2026
The night before, she makes sure school bags are packed, shoes are ready, uniform is laid out and lunch is packed for the morning.
From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026
I’ve never seen such a packed landscape of frightful, frightened animals and yearning, desperate people.
From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
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.
