packing

noun

pack·​ing ˈpa-kiŋ 

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

Examples of packing in a Sentence

We finished all our packing yesterday.

I used some old newspapers for packing.

Recent Examples on the Web

Think about it: The holiday season involves packing bags, bedazzling your tree with baubles, and kneading dough for sugar cookies. —Stacia Datskovska, WWD, 11 Dec. 2024

As seen with companies like Microsoft, GE Digital and many others, AI can also drive intelligent packing, which involves gathering data from pictures of what needs to be moved to compile a list of materials that will be required. —Anar Mammadov, Forbes, 10 Dec. 2024

Tissue or Packing Paper Both tissue and packing paper are common household items that can be repurposed and, in this case, used as wrapping paper. —Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Dec. 2024

Now on sale for $37, this hefty set will help protect your items from breaking, in turn making the packing process more secure. —Merrell Readman, Travel + Leisure, 9 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing packing

• court packing
• packing crate
• packing peanuts
• packing them in
• send packing

Medical 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

2

: the material used in packing