packing

American  

[pak-ing] / ˈpæk ɪŋ /

noun

1. the act or work of a person or thing that packs.

2. the preparation and packaging of foodstuffs, especially to be sold at wholesale.

3. the way in which something is packed.

4. an act or instance of transporting supplies, goods, etc., on the backs of horses, mules, or persons.

5. material used to cushion or protect goods packed in a container.

6. material, often in the form of a grease-impregnated fibrous ring, compressed inside a stuffing box or the like to prevent leakage around the moving shaft of an engine, pump, or valve.

7. Printing. rubber, paper, or other material fastened to the tympan or cylinder of a press to provide pressure to produce a printed impression.

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packing British  

/ ˈpækɪŋ /

noun

1. 1. material used to cushion packed goods

   2. ( as modifier )

      a packing needle

2. the packaging of foodstuffs

3. med

   1. the application of a medical pack

   2. gauze or other absorbent material for packing a wound

4. printing sheets of material, esp paper, used to cover the platen or impression cylinder of a letterpress machine

5. any substance or material used to make watertight or gastight joints, esp in a stuffing box

6. engineering pieces of material of various thicknesses used to adjust the position of a component or machine before it is secured in its correct position or alignment

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Usage

What is packing? Packing is the act of grouping items into a container, especially for storing or moving the items. Packing can also describe the container or wrapping itself used to pack items. Example: The packing on this Christmas gift is too hard to get off!

Other Word Forms

• underpacking
  noun

Etymology

Origin of packing

1350–1400; Middle English pakking (gerund). See pack ¹, -ing ¹

Example Sentences

Packing homemade meals and coffee, meanwhile, costs more than $1,320 per year.

From Salon • Jan. 22, 2026

Packing orders for delivery takes up backroom space that is limited.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 4, 2025

Packing 385 calories a bag, the company's new "HBM chips" snack is a nod to its top-selling high-bandwidth memory semiconductors, in great demand to power AI systems.

From Barron's • Nov. 27, 2025

The goal: Packing more apartments into California’s major cities where reasonably affordable housing has long been in catastrophically short supply.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 23, 2025

“Rebel. You should totally have your own reality show: Packing for Uncertainty.”

From "Internment" by Samira Ahmed

Related Words

• Styrofoam