parcel

noun par·cel \ ˈpär-səl \

Updated on: 25 Apr 2018

Definition of parcel

1 : a tract or plot of land

a parcel of real estate

2 a : a wrapped bundle : package

The parcel was shipped today.

b : a unit of salable merchandise

a parcel in an auction

3 : a company, collection, or group of persons, animals, or things : lot

The whole story was a parcel of lies.

a parcel of giddy young kids
—Mark Twain

4 a : fragment, portion

sold his stocks by parcels

b : a volume of a fluid (such as air) considered as a single entity within a greater volume of the same fluid

See parcel defined for English-language learners

See parcel defined for kids

Examples of parcel in a Sentence

a parcel of real estate
her absurd explanation for the collision was a parcel of lies

Recent Examples of parcel from the Web

On a parcel of property along the American River, scouts, students and families have for decades camped overnight and during weekends, administrators of the property said.

— cynthia hubert, sacbee, "Does Sacramento unfairly apply its camping ordinance against the homeless? Jury to decide | The Sacramento Bee," 1 Nov. 2017
The mayor's office said the city will pay just under $24.1 million for five parcels of land in the Butchertown area, and that the club will pay for additional land owned by LG&E and the Waterfront Development Corporation.

— danielle lerner, The Courier-Journal, "Private money not guaranteed for Butchertown stadium proposal, county attorney writes," 24 Oct. 2017
The deal would involve the city selling the grassy parcel west of the current Nichols Library to a third party, who would repurpose and improve the building.

— erin hegarty, Naperville Sun, "Could proposal to move old Nichols Library satisfy developers and preservationists?," 18 Sep. 2017
The first is a parcel just north of the arena, which the Bucks are marketing as a home for a corporate headquarters with hundreds of employees.

— james b. nelson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Construction finally begins on much-anticipated entertainment mall at Bucks arena," 14 Sep. 2017
Originally held in 1910 at Bailey's Field near the East Hampton town line, the fair moved to its own three-acre parcel along Quarry Hill Road shortly thereafter.

— melanie savage, Courant Community, "Haddam Neck Fair A Treasured Tradition," 13 Sep. 2017
Do Ahead: Apples can be assembled in their parcels 1 day ahead; chill.

— Bon Appetit, "Baked Apples with Prunes, Almonds, and Amaretto," 19 Mar. 2017
The developer is expected to create a mixed-use development on the three parcels, but the specifics of the project have not yet been determined.

— jeff rumage, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "New TIF district would fund redevelopment of former Amcast factory in Cedarburg," 2 Nov. 2017
Getting the park of your dreams is hard work; just ask a Muldoon neighbor about the ten-year process spanning four mayoral administrations simply to secure the land parcel as a park.

— beth nordlund, Alaska Dispatch News, "Neighbor Power makes a park in Muldoon," 28 Oct. 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of parcel

Middle English, from Anglo-French parcele, from Vulgar Latin *particella, from Latin particula small part — more at particle

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 4a

See Words from the same year

parcel Synonyms

Synonyms

array, band, batch, battery, body, boodle, bunch, cluster, clutch, consort, constellation, crop, group, grouping, huddle, knot, lot, party, passel;

Near Antonyms

individual, single;

circle, clan, clique, coterie, fellowship, gang, ring, round, set;

faction, guild (also gild), order, school, sect;

brigade, crew, outfit, phalanx, platoon, posse, task force, team;

alliance, bloc, coalition, confederacy, confederation, federation, league, union;

battalion, squadron;

bevy, brood, covey;

Phrases

the whole kit and caboodle;

Other Climate/Meteorology Terms

monsoon, occlusion, ozone, rime, squall, zephyr

parcel

verb

Definition of parcel

parceled or parcelled; parceling or parcelling play \ˈpär-s(ə-)liŋ\

transitive verb

1 : to divide into parts : distribute —often used with out

2 : to make up into a parcel : wrap

3 : to cover (something, such as a rope) with strips of canvas or tape

See parcel defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of parcel from the Web

Many park rangers and forest officials abandoned their posts, allowing warlords to move in and parcel off fertile forest land ideal for cocoa production to locals and immigrants alike, accelerating the deforestation.

— tim cocks and ange aboa, The Christian Science Monitor, "Ivory Coast, chocolate giants team up to make cocoa production more sustainable," 19 Apr. 2018
Bella is part of and parcel with Thorne’s strategic re-branding.

— maya singer, Vogue, "Think You Know Bella Thorne? After Watching This, You’ll Think Again," 11 Apr. 2018
Kurdish authorities are parceling out justice in ad hoc courts, but the region is still part of Syria, and Kurdish control is not internationally recognized.

— eric schmitt, New York Times, "Pentagon Wades Deeper Into Detainee Operations in Syria," 5 Apr. 2018
Something similar, if slightly less dramatic, can be said of income and wealth — it’s not parceled out in a balanced way.

— evan horowitz, BostonGlobe.com, "Being lucky really is more important than being good," 31 Mar. 2018
Those types of residents are less likely to respond to the census questionnaires, and thus are more likely to be left out of the data that the federal government uses to parcel out funding for programs and services statewide and locally.

— emily cadei, sacbee, "How asking about citizenship on the census could affect California | The Sacramento Bee," 27 Mar. 2018
The first three devices were parcel bombs dropped off in front of homes in the Austin area.

— jon herskovitz, Anchorage Daily News, "Texas bombing suspect blows himself up as police close in," 21 Mar. 2018
In South Florida, there’s a new box some buyers may want to check: What will that parcel look like when sea levels rise?

— alex harris, miamiherald, "Is your land at risk for sea rise? More firms want to sell South Florida the answer | Miami Herald," 21 Mar. 2018
Democrats and the White House had traded offers over immigration policy and battled over how to parcel out Homeland Security funding.

— natalie andrews, WSJ, "Congress Inches Closer to Budget Deal, Lawmakers Say," 20 Mar. 2018

Origin and Etymology of parcel

see ¹parcel

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

parcel

adjective

Definition of parcel

: part-time, partial

Origin and Etymology of parcel

see ¹parcel

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

parcel

adverb

Definition of parcel

archaic

: partly

Origin and Etymology of parcel

see ¹parcel

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

PARCEL Defined for English Language Learners

parcel

noun

Definition of parcel for English Language Learners

: a section or area of land
: a box or large envelope that is usually given, sent, or delivered to a person

PARCEL Defined for Kids

parcel

noun par·cel \ ˈpär-səl \

Definition of parcel for Students

1 : package 1

2 : a plot of land

parcel

verb

Definition of parcel for Students

parceled or parcelled; parceling or parcelling

: to divide and give out by parts We parceled out the candy.

Law Dictionary

parcel

noun par·cel \ ˈpär-səl \

legal Definition of parcel

: a tract or plot of land

Learn More about parcel

See words that rhyme with parcel Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for parcel Spanish Central: Translation of parcel Nglish: Translation of parcel for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of parcel for Arabic speakers

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parcel

Definition of parcel

Examples of parcel in a Sentence

Recent Examples of parcel from the Web

Origin and Etymology of parcel

parcel Synonyms

Synonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

Phrases

Other Climate/Meteorology Terms

parcel

Definition of parcel

Recent Examples of parcel from the Web

Origin and Etymology of parcel

parcel

Definition of parcel

Origin and Etymology of parcel

parcel

Definition of parcel

Origin and Etymology of parcel

Phrases Related to PARCEL

Related Phrases

PARCEL Defined for English Language Learners

parcel

Definition of parcel for English Language Learners

PARCEL Defined for Kids

parcel

Definition of parcel for Students

parcel

Definition of parcel for Students

Law Dictionary

parcel

legal Definition of parcel

Learn More about parcel

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