packing

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

Examples of packing in a Sentence

We finished all our packing yesterday.

I used some old newspapers for packing.

Recent Examples on the Web

To simplify packing, snap up lightweight staple pieces like this flowy maxi skirt and comfortable capri pants. — Chaise Sanders, Travel + Leisure, 13 Aug. 2026

While traveling with it on long weekend trips, commerce director Madison Flager appreciated the removable VersaPack organizer, shoe bags, and laundry bag, which eliminate the need for extra packing cubes. — Lauren Dana Ellman, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Aug. 2026

Volunteers in action By Tuesday, GEM’s headquarters in Doral were filled with dozens of volunteers sorting and packing donations. — Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 11 Aug. 2026

There’s former billionaires throwing their stuff out in the rush of packing, terror in the streets, the (fake) sky literally falling down. — Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 7 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

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