carton

noun car·ton \ ˈkär-tᵊn \

|Updated on: 9 Jun 2018

Examples: carton in a Sentence

Definition of carton

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

several cartons of books

See carton defined for English-language learners

See carton defined for kids

Examples of carton in a Sentence

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 of carton from the Web

Maybe this is all part of a Trumpian ploy to revive the missing-persons milk-carton program.

— kenzie bryant, Vanities, "A Complete Timeline of Melania Trump’s 24 Days Out of the Public Eye," 4 June 2018
Rite Aid also sells the ice cream in tubs and cartons to people who want to eat it at home and to distributors that enable other businesses, in turn, to dish it up for their own customers.

— samantha masunaga, latimes.com, "Thrifty ice cream — a portal to childhood — is being sold to Albertsons. What does that mean for its future?," 18 May 2018
On the first day the diminutive Mr Son stood on two apple cartons and announced to those befuddled workers that in five years the firm would have $75m in sales and be number one.

— The Economist, "The impact of Masayoshi Son’s $100bn tech fund will be profound," 10 May 2018
Plus, the students have been collecting milk cartons and growing plants from seeds indoors.

— sheryl devore, Lake County News-Sun, "Lake County school garden program forms 'a sense of community' at low-income schools," 4 May 2018
The youth center also hosted a craft table, where children could decorate an egg carton with stickers, markers, and pompons, to fill with their loot.

— janice steinhagen, Courant Community, "Sunny Skies, Easter Goodies Light Up Eggtopia Festival," 26 Apr. 2018
All told, 30 4-foot-by-4-foot, palette-sized cardboard cartons were used to haul away electronics, which were accepted only from River Forest residents.

— deborah kadin, chicagotribune.com, "'It’s a bit overwhelming': Chance to recycle electronics brings big crowds to River Forest extravaganza," 24 Apr. 2018
But, at the same time, sales of actual ice cream are slumping: Halo Top’s low-calorie cartons are outselling big-name brands at Wal-Mart, and Ben and Jerry’s recently introduced new vegan flavors to its roster.

— zan romanoff, Bon Appetit, "Why Are We So Obsessed with Making Healthy Desserts?," 23 Apr. 2018
Children can make bird feeders, egg carton flowers, necklaces and more, and wrap them with recycled paper.

— michelle mullins, Naperville Sun, "This Week in Naperville," 20 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'carton.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of carton

French, from Italian cartone pasteboard

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1825

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

carton

verb

Definition of carton

cartoned; cartoning; cartons

transitive verb

: to pack or enclose in a carton

intransitive verb

: to shape cartons from cardboard sheets

Recent Examples of carton from the Web

Put that bottle down and grab a box, can or carton of wine for your cooler.

— mary orlin, The Mercury News, "Picnic perfect: The 11 best box or canned wines," 20 May 2017

First Known Use of carton

1921

in the meaning defined at transitive sense

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

CARTON Defined for English Language Learners

carton

noun

Definition of carton for English Language Learners

: a light box or container usually made of cardboard or plastic
: a box containing things that have been packed together so they can be sold or moved

CARTON Defined for Kids

carton

noun car·ton \ ˈkär-tᵊn \

Definition of carton for Students

: a cardboard container

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See words that rhyme with carton Spanish Central: Translation of carton Nglish: Translation of carton for Spanish speakers

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carton

Definition of carton

Examples of carton in a Sentence

Recent Examples of carton from the Web

Origin and Etymology of carton

carton

Definition of carton

Recent Examples of carton from the Web

First Known Use of carton

CARTON Defined for English Language Learners

carton

Definition of carton for English Language Learners

CARTON Defined for Kids

carton

Definition of carton for Students

Learn More about carton

Seen and Heard

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