packing

1 of 2

noun

pack·​ing ˈpa-kiŋ 

1

a

: the action or process of packing something

also : a method of packing

b

: the processing of food and especially meat for future sale

2

: material (such as a covering or stuffing) used to protect packed goods (as for shipping)

also : material used for making airtight or watertight

packing for a faucet

3

US politics : a form of gerrymandering in which election districts are drawn in such a way that voters likely to support the opposing party are concentrated into a single district to limit the influence of their votes in other districts

… it calculates the impact of the two mechanisms that create gerrymandering. The first of these is "packing," which means one side's votes have been overconcentrated so they win by huge margins in a small number of districts (creating a surplus of votes).

—G. Terry Madonna and Michael Young

compare cracking sense 2

packing

2 of 2

present participle of pack entry 2, pack entry 3

Examples of packing in a Sentence

Noun

We finished all our packing yesterday.

I used some old newspapers for packing.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

If humans ever build a home on Mars, yeast might be the most important item on the packing list. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 10 Sep. 2026

After years of planning sailings for clients (and taking plenty herself), Eccles has seen the packing mistakes that trip up even experienced cruisers. — Jacqueline Dole, Travel + Leisure, 7 Sep. 2026

The company claims to use customized packing and crating for safe transport. — Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 7 Sep. 2026

Barbara Hutton, née Woolworth and heiress to the Woolworth fortune, is still ensconced in her first-floor suite, packing and unpacking, unsure whether to stay or to go. — Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing packing

• court packing
• packing crate
• packing peanuts
• packing them in
• send packing

Rhymes for packing

• backing
• blacking
• clacking
• cracking
• hacking
• jacking
• lacking
• racking
• sacking
• slacking
• smacking
• snacking

Medical Definition

packing

noun

pack·​ing ˈpak-iŋ 

1

: the therapeutic application of a pack

hemorrhage … could not be controlled by suture or packing

—The Journal of the American Medical Association

2

: the material used in packing