packaging

noun

1

: an act or instance of packaging something or someone: such as

a

: the enclosing of something in a container or covering

… damage caused by static charge during packaging, storing, and shipping.

—Chemical & Engineering News

b

: the presentation of something or someone to the public in a way that is designed to be attractive or appealing

This is public relations: the packaging of ideas, the execution of them, and the media coverage surrounding them.

—Robert Z. Chew

2

: material used to enclose or contain something

… the flashy packaging popularized by mass merchants.

—Jan Stafford

also : a covering wrapper or container : package entry 1 sense 3

the manufacture of food packagings

Examples of packaging in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The packaging reflects the brand’s homage to history. —Celia Shatzman, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025

Around 36% of all plastic produced globally is used for packaging, and about 85% of that goes to landfills, according to the UN’s Environment Programme. —Lucy Handley, CNBC, 1 May 2025

Is its packaging consciously designed or needlessly wasteful? —Annie Blackman, Allure, 30 Apr. 2025

The range of elevated, multipurpose products is formulated in inclusive shades and undertones to suit every skin tone under the spectrum, and the nude theme extends from his color stories to the gorgeous packaging, too. —Jennifer Chan, StyleCaster, 30 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

from gerund of package entry 2

First Known Use

circa 1875, in the meaning defined at sense 1