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

Many cafés and bakeries are also moving away from single-use plastics and offering compostable packaging. —Christopher Elliott, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025

The polyolefins Marks is referring to are what trash bags, plastic wrap, squeeze bottles, and other disposable single-use packaging are made of. —Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 7 Sep. 2025

In addition, each of the three nuggets products has packaging that matches the team's respective colors. —Erin Clack, PEOPLE, 6 Sep. 2025

Consumer goods company Dabur, valued at $11 billion, took out a front-page newspaper advertisement this week carrying photos of unbranded toothpaste packs that resemble Colgate packaging. —CNN Money, 6 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

from gerund of package entry 2

First Known Use

circa 1875, in the meaning defined at sense 1