packing

noun

pack·​ing ˈpa-kiŋ 

1

a

: 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

This travel humidifier uses a standard water bottle as its reservoir, which cuts down on its weight to make packing easier. —Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 27 Mar. 2026

This comprehensive travel system includes three packing cubes and a 17-inch laptop sleeve to organize all your belongings. —Bestreviews, Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2026

RuPaul would have stopped the Snatch Game right in the middle to send Jeff packing. —Brian Moylan, Vulture, 26 Mar. 2026

Rather than spending their time packing, unpacking, and setting up the tent, a family with kids can get straight to gathering around a fire or challenging each other to ever-lengthening cold plunges in the spa. —Naomi Tomky, Outside, 18 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing packing

• court packing
• packing crate
• packing peanuts
• packing them in
• send packing

Rhymes for packing

• backing
• blacking
• clacking
• cracking
• hacking
• jacking
• lacking
• racking
• sacking
• slacking
• smacking
• snacking

Medical Definition

packing

noun

pack·​ing ˈpak-iŋ 

1

: the therapeutic application of a pack

hemorrhage … could not be controlled by suture or packing

—The Journal of the American Medical Association

2

: the material used in packing