1
a
: the action or process of packing something
also
: a method of packing
b
: the processing of food and especially meat for future sale
2
: material (such as a covering or stuffing) used to protect packed goods (as for shipping)
also
: material used for making airtight or watertight
packing for a faucet
3
US politics
: a form of gerrymandering in which election districts are drawn in such a way that voters likely to support the opposing party are concentrated into a single district to limit the influence of their votes in other districts
… it calculates the impact of the two mechanisms that create gerrymandering. The first of these is "packing," which means one side's votes have been overconcentrated so they win by huge margins in a small number of districts (creating a surplus of votes).—
G. Terry Madonna and Michael Young
compare cracking sense 2
G. Terry Madonna and Michael YoungExamples of packing in a Sentence
We finished all our packing yesterday.
I used some old newspapers for packing.
Recent Examples on the Web
Don’t forget to take advantage of the signature St. Regis butler service, which will promptly fulfill requests for packing needs, garment pressing, restaurant reservations and a cup of steaming chamomile tea to unwind after a long flight.
—Natasha Amar, Forbes.com, 11 May 2025
Last fall the exhibition arrived at the Fort Lauderdale museum in 31 packing crates from the foundation’s warehouse in Switzerland.
—Joseph B. Treaster, New York Times, 7 May 2025
Size Duffel bags are known for their ability to expand and provide extra packing space.
—Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 30 Apr. 2025
Packages with the logo of Amazon are transported at a packing station of a redistribution center of Amazon in Horn-Bad Meinberg, western Germany, on Dec. 9, 2024.
—Annie Palmer, CNBC, 29 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for packing
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Natasha Amar, Forbes.com, 11 May 2025
Last fall the exhibition arrived at the Fort Lauderdale museum in 31 packing crates from the foundation’s warehouse in Switzerland.
—Joseph B. Treaster, New York Times, 7 May 2025
Size Duffel bags are known for their ability to expand and provide extra packing space.
—Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 30 Apr. 2025
Packages with the logo of Amazon are transported at a packing station of a redistribution center of Amazon in Horn-Bad Meinberg, western Germany, on Dec. 9, 2024.
—Annie Palmer, CNBC, 29 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for packing
Cite this Entry
“Packing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/packing. Accessed 19 May. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
packing
noun
pack·ing
ˈpak-iŋ 
1
: the therapeutic application of a pack
hemorrhage … could not be controlled by suture or packing—The Journal of the American Medical Association
The Journal of the American Medical Association2
: the material used in packing
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