carton

1 of 2

noun

car·​ton ˈkär-tᵊn How to pronounce carton (audio)
: 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
Case of unopened hockey cards that may include Wayne Gretzky’s first goes for $3.7M Ray Stubblebine / AP file A sealed carton of hockey player cards hit $3.7 million at auction, Heritage Auctions said. Elizabeth Both, NBC News, 27 Feb. 2024 In another room, a glass case held a small carton filled with half a dozen white plaster eggs. Hazlitt, 14 Feb. 2024 Remove the eggs from the carton and choose a spot to display these beauties. Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 9 Feb. 2024 If there is flooding, don’t eat anything that might have come in contact with flood water, including raw fruits and vegetables and cartons of milk or eggs. Kathleen Purvis, Charlotte Observer, 30 Jan. 2024 Byrne Dairy is recalling half-gallon cartons of chocolate ice cream sold by retailers in upstate New York because the ice cream may contain undeclared peanuts, posing the risk of a serious or life-threatening reaction to those who are allergic to the nuts. Kate Gibson, CBS News, 30 Jan. 2024 Some of the cartons provide just shapes, textures and shadows, but others are decorated with patterns meant to evoke traditional Chinese culture. Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 19 Jan. 2024 Other containers, such as plastic pouches, bags-in-a-box or cartons will be subject to an additional 25-cent charge. Jeremy Childs, Los Angeles Times, 13 Jan. 2024 The designer has created this vase to look like a carton of orange juice. Moriah Mason, Southern Living, 28 Nov. 2023
Verb
This basket has a little bit of everything: a sitting bunny, Easter bonbons, caramel bonbons, peeps, an Easter egg carton a chocolate duck and some lollipops. Sherrie Nachman, Forbes, 22 Mar. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'carton.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

French, from Italian cartone pasteboard

First Known Use

Noun

1825, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1921, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of carton was in 1825

Dictionary Entries Near carton

Cite this Entry

“Carton.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/carton. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

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

More from Merriam-Webster on carton

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