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
Another long-term consequence of the coup, a lack of professional opportunity for Black people in Wilmington, sent Brown packing after high school.
—
Lauren Collins,
New Yorker,
3 July 2026
This helps to spread out your packing to avoid excess baggage fees.
—
Alison Syrett Cleary,
InStyle,
2 July 2026
On Tuesday morning, a dozen volunteers joined Montano on the street outside of her restaurant, packing and boxing an influx of supplies — from sanitary supplies to nonperishable foods — dropped off by passing vehicles.
—
Melody Xu,
Los Angeles Times,
2 July 2026
The livestock and meat packing industries of the West Bottoms and Armourdale never fully recovered.
—
Kansas City Public Library Staff,
Kansas City Star,
1 July 2026
See All Example Sentences for packing
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Lauren Collins,
New Yorker,
3 July 2026
This helps to spread out your packing to avoid excess baggage fees.
—
Alison Syrett Cleary,
InStyle,
2 July 2026
On Tuesday morning, a dozen volunteers joined Montano on the street outside of her restaurant, packing and boxing an influx of supplies — from sanitary supplies to nonperishable foods — dropped off by passing vehicles.
—
Melody Xu,
Los Angeles Times,
2 July 2026
The livestock and meat packing industries of the West Bottoms and Armourdale never fully recovered.
—
Kansas City Public Library Staff,
Kansas City Star,
1 July 2026
See All Example Sentences for packing
Cite this Entry
“Packing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/packing. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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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