packet

[ pak-it ]
See synonyms for packet on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a small group or package of anything: a packet of letters.

  2. Also called packet boat, packet ship . a small vessel that carries mail, passengers, and goods regularly on a fixed route, especially on rivers or along coasts.

  1. Cards. a part of a pack of cards after being cut.

  2. Informal. a large amount of money.

  3. Computers. a relatively small unit of data sent over a network:Every email you send and web page you browse is transferred to and from your device in a series of packets.

  4. British Slang.

    • a painful blow or beating.

    • misfortune or failure.

verb (used with object)
  1. to bind up in a package or parcel.

Origin of packet

1
First recorded in 1520–30; from Middle French pacquet, equivalent to pacqu(er) pack1 + -et -et

synonym study For packet

1. See package.

Words Nearby packet

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use packet in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for packet

packet

/ (ˈpækɪt) /


noun
  1. a small or medium-sized container of cardboard, paper, etc, often together with its contents: a packet of biscuits Usual US and Canadian word: package, pack

  2. a small package; parcel

  1. Also called: packet boat a boat that transports mail, passengers, goods, etc, on a fixed short route

  2. slang a large sum of money: to cost a packet

  3. computing a unit into which a larger piece of data is broken down for more efficient transmission: See also packet switching

verb
  1. (tr) to wrap up in a packet or as a packet

Origin of packet

1
C16: from Old French pacquet, from pacquer to pack, from Old Dutch pak a pack

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012