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

In Guatemala, Taracena had been a quality control worker at a Chiquita banana packing house. — Miriam Jordan, The Seattle Times, "Separated for 51 days, a reunited migrant family starts a new life in Oregon," 10 Sep. 2018 And that makes packing for a last-minute trip a no-brainer. — Whitney Wei, Vogue, "Meet the Indian Design Duo Shaking Up the Look of Athleisure," 28 Nov. 2018 For long hikes that will require packing in diapers, wipes, and extra baby clothes, select a carrier that has multiple pockets and space for water and extra gear. — Timothy Dahl, Popular Mechanics, "Hike With Your Kids Using These Child Carrier Backpacks," 28 Nov. 2018 Magic Words: Voicing my passion sends shame packing. — Bess Matassa, Teen Vogue, "Weekly Horoscopes October 29-November 4," 28 Oct. 2018 Adult Kate Kate's packing for something and lamenting about how it's been a month since she's seen Kevin. — Christopher Rosa, Glamour, "'This Is Us' Season 2 Episode 11 Recap: The Pearson Three Have Their Biggest Fight Ever," 9 Jan. 2018 The whole process—from cooking, to packing, to cleanup—takes less than an hour. — Marygrace Taylor, Good Housekeeping, "6 Things You Need To Know Before Making Your Own Homemade Dog Food," 8 Aug. 2017 Costume designer Amanda Riley tells me that Lucy’s impractical footwear is reflective of a fish-out-of-water New Yorker packing for a supposedly brief visit to the Midwest. — Fawnia Soo Hoo, Glamour, "Why You Should Be Paying Attention to the Costumes in All Those Holiday Movies," 7 Dec. 2018 That same purchase from an independent merchant on Amazon’s marketplace would represent about $120 in revenue for Amazon, based on a rough estimate of its commission and fees for packing and delivery. — Spencer Soper, The Seattle Times, "Amazon dealt $250 billion blow from market jitters and confusion," 30 Oct. 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.