parcel

1 of 4

noun

par·​cel ˈpär-səl 

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

parcel

2 of 4

verb

parceled or parcelled; parceling or parcelling 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

parcel

3 of 4

adjective

: part-time, partial

parcel

4 of 4

adverb

archaic

: partly

Synonyms

Noun

• cluster
• batch
• collection
• array
• package
• bunch
• assemblage
• constellation
• group
• lot
• set
• grouping

Verb

• distribute
• dispense
• deal (out)
• provide
• allocate
• portion
• administer
• hand out

Examples of parcel in a Sentence

Noun

a parcel of real estate

her absurd explanation for the collision was a parcel of lies

Verb

parceled out the assignments for work on the parish fair

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Growers, on the other hand, lean into the quirks of each harvest and parcel of land. —arkansasonline.com, 8 July 2025

In 2024, Shein and Temu together shipped 800 million packages to France — more than half of all parcels sent to the country. —Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 4 July 2025

Verb

Figures like Francis Bacon and Johannes Kepler looked at the innovation in bookkeeping and thought: This way of parceling the world into chunks of data that are quantifiable and verifiable is great. —Sigal Samuel, Vox, 6 Jan. 2025

Clocking and the secondhand joy parcelled around an acknowledgement are an effect of that first commitment, to articulate one’s own grace. —Sadhbh O'Sullivan, refinery29.com, 28 Feb. 2024

Adjective

The current record, of $147 million, was for a multi-parcel purchase by investor Barry Rosenstein. —Amy Dobson, Forbes, 6 Apr. 2021

While parcel demand for the Black Friday and Cyber Monday retail peaks was higher than expected, the threat of industrial action caused customers to divert holiday packages to other companies, Royal Mail said in a statement. —Anthony Palazzo, Bloomberg.com, 29 Apr. 2020

Word History

Etymology

Noun, Verb, Adjective, and Adverb

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

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 4a

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Adverb

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing parcel

• parcel bomb
• parcel off
• parcel out
• parcel post
• parcel up
• part and parcel
• part and parcel of

Rhymes for parcel

• tarsal
• metatarsal

Kids Definition

parcel

1 of 2 noun

par·​cel ˈpär-səl 

1

: a part of a whole : portion

2

: a plot of land

3

: a group or collections of persons or things

told a parcel of lies

4

: a wrapped bundle

parcel

2 of 2 verb

parceled or parcelled; parceling or parcelling

ˈpär-s(ə-)liŋ

1

: to divide into parts : distribute

2

: to wrap up into a parcel

Legal Definition

parcel

noun

par·​cel ˈpär-səl 

: a tract or plot of land