carton

1 of 2

noun

car·​ton ˈkär-tᵊn 

: 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

Noun

The nationwide egg shortage that has resulted in sticker shock for millions of shoppers at grocery stores is even more bizarre in New York City, where organic, cage-free cartons, typically more expensive, now cost less than a regular dozen in some stores. —Louis Casiano, Fox News, 7 Feb. 2025

More than 150 million poultry birds have been killed across all 50 states since 2022 in an attempt to combat a strain of bird flu known as H5N1, and those efforts are now leaving grocery store shelve empty where cartons used to sit. —Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 5 Feb. 2025

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

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

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