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
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Noun
Through it all, specialty egg distributor Pete & Gerry’s says its dozen-egg cartons have been retailing for about $6.99 over the past 18 to 24 months. Alexandra Byrne, NBC News, 5 Mar. 2025 At the end of the catwalk, the Grammy winner pulled out a cigarette from the makeshift carton affixed to her sleeve. Hannah Malach, WWD, 5 Mar. 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 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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Carton.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/carton. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.

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
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