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
Mark Twain
parceled or parcelled; parceling or parcelling
ˈpär-s(ə-)liŋ 
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
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
Richard Collett, CNN Money, 29 Oct. 2025
Those spirits were awakened by several methods, from burying the packet in the ground, to tying macrame-like knots onto the parcels, to driving nails into the amulet—all to fulfill the requests of Congolese practitioners.
—Essence, 29 Oct. 2025
Brian Steinberg, Variety, 24 Oct. 2025
The cuts play into Trump’s broader plan to shut down the Education Department and parcel its operations to other agencies.
—Collin Binkley, Twin Cities, 13 Oct. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for parcel
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Noun
Bir Tawil, for instance — a desolate parcel of desert on the Egyptian-Sudanese border.
—Richard Collett, CNN Money, 29 Oct. 2025
Those spirits were awakened by several methods, from burying the packet in the ground, to tying macrame-like knots onto the parcels, to driving nails into the amulet—all to fulfill the requests of Congolese practitioners.
—Essence, 29 Oct. 2025
Verb
But so too does sizzle — promotion of a big interview, parceling it out among several programs — and Weiss, who has no previous experience running an editorial operation the size of CBS News or producing TV programs, needs to master it.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 24 Oct. 2025
The cuts play into Trump’s broader plan to shut down the Education Department and parcel its operations to other agencies.
—Collin Binkley, Twin Cities, 13 Oct. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for parcel
Cite this Entry
“Parcel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/parcel. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
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
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