as in unloading
to empty or rid of cargo
unpacked the car the minute they got back from vacation
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Recent Examples of unpacking
Featuring the good, the bad and the ugly, ‘Look of the Week’ is a regular series dedicated to unpacking the most talked about outfit of the last seven days.
—
Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 22 Apr. 2026
The realities and challenges that come with romantic relationships are something Tierney is notably looking forward to unpacking in season two.
—Carly Thomas, HollywoodReporter, 19 Apr. 2026
Newton revealed her return in a tongue-in-cheek fashion on social media, unpacking a box that had a director’s chair with her name on the back of it and the film’s logo on front.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 17 Apr. 2026
Nobody seems interested in unpacking the actual immortality aspect here.
—Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 15 Apr. 2026
One shopper wore it through the Florida heat and confirmed that the 3/4 sleeves remained comfortable and breezy, with no wrinkles to deal with after unpacking.
—Chaise Sanders, Travel + Leisure, 14 Apr. 2026
Her first psychological thriller was the 2014 best-seller Dead Med, which follows a med student unpacking the tragic and mysterious deaths of her classmates.
—Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 9 Apr. 2026
As the Fashion News Editor at British Vogue, Daniel Rodgers covers a broad range of topics, unpacking the effects of culture on clothing.
—Daniel Rodgers, Vogue, 1 Apr. 2026
When the beetle takes flight, the woman, who is busy unpacking, doesn’t realize for a moment that there’s something out of place about that rasping ruckus, that foreign hum.
—María Ospina, The Dial, 31 Mar. 2026
Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 22 Apr. 2026
The realities and challenges that come with romantic relationships are something Tierney is notably looking forward to unpacking in season two.
—Carly Thomas, HollywoodReporter, 19 Apr. 2026
Newton revealed her return in a tongue-in-cheek fashion on social media, unpacking a box that had a director’s chair with her name on the back of it and the film’s logo on front.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 17 Apr. 2026
Nobody seems interested in unpacking the actual immortality aspect here.
—Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 15 Apr. 2026
One shopper wore it through the Florida heat and confirmed that the 3/4 sleeves remained comfortable and breezy, with no wrinkles to deal with after unpacking.
—Chaise Sanders, Travel + Leisure, 14 Apr. 2026
Her first psychological thriller was the 2014 best-seller Dead Med, which follows a med student unpacking the tragic and mysterious deaths of her classmates.
—Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 9 Apr. 2026
As the Fashion News Editor at British Vogue, Daniel Rodgers covers a broad range of topics, unpacking the effects of culture on clothing.
—Daniel Rodgers, Vogue, 1 Apr. 2026
When the beetle takes flight, the woman, who is busy unpacking, doesn’t realize for a moment that there’s something out of place about that rasping ruckus, that foreign hum.
—María Ospina, The Dial, 31 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unpacking
unloading
Verb
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Cleaning houses, working in a candle shop, babysitting, unloading trucks in a food terminal and finally the kitchen of local health food grocery the Turnip Truck, music was always in the background.—
Holly Gleason,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Apr. 2026
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An oil tanker unloading crude last week at the port in Qingdao in China's eastern Shandong province.—
Mithil Aggarwal,
NBC news,
14 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unpacking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unpacking. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.
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