carton

1 of 2

noun

car·​ton ˈkär-tᵊn How to pronounce carton (audio)
: a box or container usually made of cardboard and often of corrugated cardboard
several cartons of books

carton

2 of 2

verb

cartoned; cartoning; cartons

transitive verb

: to pack or enclose in a carton

intransitive verb

: to shape cartons from cardboard sheets

Examples of carton in a Sentence

Noun She got a carton of ice cream out of the freezer. a carton of orange juice He bought a carton of cigarettes. Several cartons of books arrived yesterday.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Noun
Saturday Night Live recap: Host John Mulaney makes grand return with Chappell Roan and surprise guests To start, Kenan Thompson and Ego Nwodim sing a Lion King parody revealing that the carton is filled with possum milk. Shania Russell, EW.com, 3 Nov. 2024 Eggs are well known to carry salmonella bacteria, so returning an empty shell to the carton runs the risk of contaminating the whole eggs in there. Caroline Tien, SELF, 24 Oct. 2024
Verb
This basket has a little bit of everything: a sitting bunny, Easter bonbons, caramel bonbons, peeps, an Easter egg carton a chocolate duck and some lollipops. Sherrie Nachman, Forbes, 22 Mar. 2023 See all Example Sentences for carton 

Word History

Etymology

Noun

French, from Italian cartone pasteboard

First Known Use

Noun

1825, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1921, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of carton was in 1825

Dictionary Entries Near carton

Cite this Entry

“Carton.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/carton. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

carton

noun
car·​ton
ˈkärt-ᵊn
: a paperboard box or container
Etymology

Noun

from French carton "cardboard box," from Italian cartone "pasteboard," from carta "sheet of paper," from Latin charta "piece of papyrus" — related to card entry 3, cartoon

More from Merriam-Webster on carton

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!