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 changes excluded all packaging material related to produce, meat, dairy products, dog food, toothpaste, condoms, shampoo and cereal boxes, among other products. —Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 14 Jan. 2026

When its packaging and promotional material for children’s fluoride toothpaste shows the paste on a brush, the company will display a pea-sized amount, rather than the traditional swirl. —Anna Clark, ProPublica, 14 Jan. 2026

Expect to see these packaging changes rolled out over the next few years as ALDI modernizes and makes each product more recognizable. —Sophia Beams, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 Jan. 2026

The cookies were removed from their packaging and cut into quarters for testers to be able to taste them without any identifying factors. —Jenna Sims, Southern Living, 14 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

from gerund of package entry 2

First Known Use

circa 1875, in the meaning defined at sense 1