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

The luggage comes with a removable packing cube system, two shoe bags, and a laundry bag for ultimate convenience and functionality. —Jordyn Burrell, Travel + Leisure, 16 Feb. 2025

The set comes with eight pieces including packing cubes at various sizes, a shoe bag, a laundry bag, and a cosmetic bag to organize your belongings. —Nicol Natale, People.com, 14 Feb. 2025

To make sure all your stuff fits into the right size carry-on, consider packing cubes, which save space and help organize your belongings. —Brooke Vaughan, AFAR Media, 10 Feb. 2025

Patagonia Black Hole Cube 3L for $27 ($39) Another major highlight from the Black Hole line, Patagonia’s Cube packing cubes are a gamechanger for messy packers. —Drew Zieff, Outside Online, 8 Feb. 2025

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