packing (up or in)

verb

Definition of packing (up or in)next
present participle of pack (up or in)
1
as in ending
to bring (as an action or operation) to an immediate end the auto company is downsizing and will be packing up operations at the local plant

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in abandoning
to stop doing (something) permanently after two years of college, he decided to pack in that academic stuff and join the army

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for packing (up or in)
  1. ending
  2. abandoning
  3. stopping
  4. discontinuing
  5. ceasing
  6. quitting
  7. halting
  8. giving up
Verb
  • That kind of conflict doesn't leave you feeling like the world is ending.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Superman and Batman might be one of the DC Universe’s most famous partnerships, but Robert Pattinson is officially ending speculation that his take on Bruce Wayne would fit in the cinematic world created by James Gunn.
    — Payton Turkeltaub, Variety, 27 Sep. 2026
Definition of ending
Verb
  • There may never be a satisfactory explanation for the WNBA’s insistence on abandoning such a loyal, durable fanbase, but the fans didn’t come to Mohegan Sun Arena one last time to ask why.
    — Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Demonstrate that the innovation function can help business leaders solve immediate problems without abandoning longer-term exploration.
    — Melanie Subin, Forbes.com, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of abandoning
Verb
  • This, combined with the glacial pace of emissions reductions, gives the sense that key players are more interested in surviving what’s coming, rather than stopping it.
    — Stephanie Walton, Fortune, 29 Sep. 2026
  • There are hydraulic disc brakes at both ends for stopping power.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of stopping
Verb
  • Connecticut State Colleges and Universities is discontinuing the investigation into a complaint of bullying and workplace intimidation against Central Connecticut State University President Zulma Toro following her resignation.
    — Livi Stanford, Hartford Courant, 25 Sep. 2026
  • The brand has committed to discontinuing large-format liquid laundry bottles by 2030.
    — Ryan Brennan, Sacbee.com, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of discontinuing
Verb
  • Scanlon told me Friday afternoon that Pattis will try to enjoin him from ceasing the payments.
    — Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 19 Sep. 2026
  • But simply ceasing contact doesn’t get to the root of the issue.
    — Susan Steade, Sun Sentinel, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of ceasing
Verb
  • Because high-potency vapes drive up physical tolerance, standard quitting aids — like over-the-counter patches or nicotine gum — can sometimes feel inadequate to a user seeking immediate relief.
    — Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Instead of quitting cold turkey, a growing group is carving out intentional pockets of offline time, a move that’s colliding with the analog aesthetic revival, phone-free spaces and friction tools designed to hand control back to the user.
    — Ashley Lynch, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of quitting
Verb
  • Kean, who has voted against resolutions aimed at halting military action in Iran, defended the war.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 28 Sep. 2026
  • By halting those exports, the thinking goes, domestic diesel prices would drop due to a flood of fresh supply, lowering costs for farmers, commercial trucking companies and thousands of other businesses that rely on the fuel.
    — Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of halting
Verb
  • Despite giving up two more homers, Blyleven was the winner when the Twins rallied in the eighth for a 6-5 victory.
    — Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026
  • But because that would be booked through Booking’s services rather than directly with a hotel operator, the trade-off may be giving up hotel rewards points and elite-qualifying credit.
    — Rob Pegoraro, PC Magazine, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of giving up
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

packings
packing (up or in)
packing (up or off)
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Packing (up or in).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/packing%20%28up%20or%20in%29. Accessed 3 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of tittle

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Oct. 2

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
name tags
Words Named After People Quiz Find out who’s behind "leotard," "morphine," an...
See All