packing

noun

pack·ing | \ ˈpa-kiŋ

Definition of packing

1a : the action or process of packing something also : a method of packing

b : the processing of food and especially meat for future sale

2 : material (such as a covering or stuffing) used to protect packed goods (as for shipping) also : material used for making airtight or watertight packing for a faucet

3 US politics : a form of gerrymandering in which election districts are drawn in such a way that voters likely to support the opposing party are concentrated into a single district to limit the influence of their votes in other districts … it calculates the impact of the two mechanisms that create gerrymandering. The first of these is "packing," which means one side's votes have been overconcentrated so they win by huge margins in a small number of districts (creating a surplus of votes).— G. Terry Madonna and Michael Young — compare cracking sense 2

Examples of packing in a Sentence

We finished all our packing yesterday. I used some old newspapers for packing.

Recent Examples on the Web

But even the act of packing and unpacking years of organic accumulation can’t help but alter its alchemy. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "L.A. is losing its weird edges to bland, boxy and Instagram-friendly," 20 June 2019 But even the act of packing and unpacking years of organic accumulation can’t help but alter its alchemy. — Nita Lelyveld, latimes.com, "L.A. is losing its weird edges to bland, boxy and Instagram-friendly," 20 June 2019 Parents will also prepare for their baby's arrival, packing and booking travel. — Ben Tinker, CNN, "The top 10 questions about surrogacy for same-sex couples, answered," 14 June 2019 Summer travel packing list: sunscreen, power bars, television. — Lynn Elber, Twin Cities, "Sexy dramas, big-money games, Ailes film heat up summer TV," 10 June 2019 Start With a Vaccine Checklist The Centers for Disease Control has a list of vaccines, health notices and packing lists for those traveling around the world. — Talya Minsberg, New York Times, "How to Pack a First Aid Kit for Extended International Travel," 23 May 2019 The choice for each side isn’t between court-packing and the status quo. — Matt Ford, The New Republic, "A Better Way to Fix the Supreme Court," 4 June 2019 All-in-ones When trying to prevent over-packing, multi-tasking products are a must. — Cara Kelly, USA TODAY, "Packing the ultimate weekender: Our favorite products for your carry-on or beach bag," 9 July 2018 The court has swung from left to right and back again throughout its history, of course, and other presidents tried to muscle their way to friendly majorities, most infamously President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s failed court-packing scheme in 1937. — Peter Baker, New York Times, "A Conservative Court Push Decades in the Making, With Effects for Decades to Come," 9 July 2018

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