carton

1 of 2

noun

car·​ton ˈkär-tᵊn 

: a box or container usually made of cardboard and often of corrugated cardboard

several cartons of books

carton

2 of 2

verb

cartoned; cartoning; cartons

transitive verb

: to pack or enclose in a carton

intransitive verb

: to shape cartons from cardboard sheets

Examples of carton in a Sentence

Noun

She got a carton of ice cream out of the freezer.

a carton of orange juice

He bought a carton of cigarettes.

Several cartons of books arrived yesterday.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Instead, Luke loads up on protein — including nearly a carton of eggs to himself every morning for breakfast. — Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2026

Bravin said the deaf community is often not able to hear announcements at food pantries for potential rules or limitations like one carton of eggs or one loaf of bread being allowed on that day. — Sean Krofssik, Hartford Courant, 14 Sep. 2026

Liev hangs back as his wife, Taylor, tosses a handful of worms inside to Grandma, Sizzurp, Fern, Pico, and Miu Miu—a clucking brood whose eggs are packed into custom cartons stamped Hazel’s Hens, named for the couple’s toddler daughter, Hazel Bee. — Ingrid Abramovitch, Architectural Digest, 10 Sep. 2026

There’s a clear-glass bong and a grinder full of dank green bud on the table near the espresso machine, along with a carton of oat milk. — Simon Vozick-Levinson, Rolling Stone, 10 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

French, from Italian cartone pasteboard

First Known Use

Noun

1906, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1921, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Rhymes for carton

• garten
• marten
• parton
• spartan
• tartan
• kindergarten

Kids Definition

carton

noun

car·​ton

ˈkärt-ᵊn

: a paperboard box or container

Etymology

Noun

from French carton "cardboard box," from Italian cartone "pasteboard," from carta "sheet of paper," from Latin charta "piece of papyrus" — related to card entry 3, cartoon