parcel

1 of 4

noun

par·​cel ˈpär-səl How to pronounce parcel (audio)
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 kidsMark 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 How to pronounce parcel (audio)

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

parcel

4 of 4

adverb

archaic
: partly

Examples of parcel in a Sentence

Noun a parcel of real estate her absurd explanation for the collision was a parcel of lies
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The agency would like to see the funding measure raise $1 billion to $2 billion annually through methods that could include a sales tax, an income tax, a payroll tax, a parcel tax, a vehicle registration surcharge or a regional vehicle-miles traveled charge. Ethan Baron, The Mercury News, 10 Mar. 2024 Should the dispute end in the Seaquarium vacating the 38-acre parcel, one likely scenario is that the Dolphin Company would simply pay to move its animals, including nearly 20 dolphins, to one or more of its existing parks. Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 8 Mar. 2024 The university also will assess how legalization changes land values even for parcels that do not exercise the new development option. Samantha Gowen, Orange County Register, 8 Mar. 2024 Sirius Cay comprises two parcels that together span almost an acre, with 381 linear feet of waterfront. Emma Reynolds, Robb Report, 7 Mar. 2024 Woodland voters appear on track to soundly reject a flood control measure, while the renewal of a parcel tax to generate funding for Davis Joint Unified School District was sitting very close to the supermajority required to pass. Ishani Desai, Sacramento Bee, 6 Mar. 2024 The land address is listed as 3145 E. Joyce Blvd., and the parcel costs about $165,600 per acre, according to the district. Al Gaspeny, arkansasonline.com, 1 Mar. 2024 The legislation would transfer administrative control of the 174-acre riverfront parcel from the federal government to D.C., for a term of 99 years with no rent costs, enabling a range of development possibilities from a football stadium to restaurants, shops and housing. Meagan Flynn, Washington Post, 29 Feb. 2024 The latest legal dispute with the city comes as Manchester Financial is planning to build a 36-story, 1,150-room hotel on a nearly 2-acre parcel between Pacific Highway and North Harbor Drive on the former Navy Broadway Complex. Jennifer Van Grove, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Feb. 2024
Verb
If that rain is parceled into a handful of giant drops, the variation in when those drops hit your roof will be high; sometimes drops will splatter back to back, and at other times they will be spaced out. Quanta Magazine, 28 Nov. 2023 According to Pam Fechter, city’s planning and economic development coordinator, the new owners are renovating the space and may be parceling the building off for multiple tenants. Jshortavon, cleveland, 23 July 2023 During an event like ArkFuture, perfect operation of a dam would take the total inflow, which comes in peaks and troughs, and parcel it out evenly. Christopher Cox Spencer Lowell, New York Times, 22 June 2023 Rumors began floating last fall that McCall, who has been at the helm of ITV since 2018, was considering selling off the conglomerate or potentially parceling some of it off. K.j. Yossman, Variety, 1 Mar. 2023 This week’s auction is part of an ambitious schedule by the Biden administration to parcel out ocean blocks for new wind farms to ring the nation’s coastlines. Jennifer Hiller, WSJ, 6 Dec. 2022 The information cloud is going to be there, and someone will parcel and claim it. Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 31 Mar. 2013 Decisions that were made to parcel out PPEs based on population rather than community need also were scrutinized. Todd Spangler, Detroit Free Press, 8 Dec. 2022 Typically in the last quarter of the year, cargo carriers from container lines to parcel operators bulk up their profits on strong demand. Paul Berger, WSJ, 18 Oct. 2022
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

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'parcel.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of parcel was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near parcel

Cite this Entry

“Parcel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/parcel. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

parcel

1 of 2 noun
par·​cel ˈpär-səl How to pronounce parcel (audio)
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 How to pronounce parcel (audio)
: a tract or plot of land

More from Merriam-Webster on parcel

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