packaging

packaging — noun

1. boxes, paper, plastic, and other covering placed around products for sale.

1.nounB2
Definition

boxes, paper, plastic, and other covering placed around products for sale.

Example

The strawberries arrived in paper packaging instead of plastic boxes.

material adjective: paper packaging

Too much packaging filled Maya's kitchen bin after one online order.

uncountable noun with too much

Common collocations
  • plastic packaging
  • recyclable packaging
  • minimal packaging
  • throw away the packaging
Synonyms
  • wrapping

    often focuses on the outer paper, plastic, or film layer

  • packing

    can refer to protective material, especially for shipping

  • packing material

    emphasizes filler or protection more than shop appearance

  • package

    usually means the whole wrapped item, not only the material around it

Grammar Patterns

paper/plastic/recyclable packaging

packaging for + product

Usage Note

Usually uncountable when talking about material in general. It often appears with words such as plastic, paper, recyclable, minimal, or excessive.

Common Mistakes

The toy came with too many packagings.
The toy came with too much packaging.
when you mean the material in general, packaging is usually uncountable.

2. the work of putting goods into bags, boxes, or other covers before sale or deliv

2.nounC1
Definition

the work of putting goods into bags, boxes, or other covers before sale or delivery.

Example

Packaging begins at six when the bread comes out warm.

activity noun: Packaging begins...

After a label error, packaging stopped for an hour.

Common collocations
  • food packaging
  • packaging department
  • packaging line
  • packaging costs
Synonyms
  • packing

    the closest everyday word for putting goods into containers

  • wrapping

    focuses more narrowly on covering the goods rather than the whole process

  • packing operation

    a more formal phrase for organized business or factory work

Antonyms
  • unpacking

    means taking goods out of boxes or wrapping instead

Grammar Patterns

do the packaging

packaging for + product

Usage Note

Unlike sense 1, this sense names the activity, not the paper, box, or plastic itself. It is common in factory, shop, and shipping contexts, especially when talking about staff, time, or cost.

Common Mistakes

The cookies are in packaging now.
The cookies are being packaged now.
use the verb for an action happening right now; the noun names the activity in general.

Word family

  • pack
    verbA2
  • pack
    nounB1
  • package
    nounB1
  • package
    verbB2
  • unpack
    verbB1
  • repackage
    verbC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

For noun/1, packaging is the broad word for the material around a product when it is sold. Wrapping usually points to the outer layer, such as paper or plastic film. Packing often suggests protection for shipping, like foam, paper, or bubble wrap inside a box. A package is the complete wrapped item, not just the material around it. Container is different again: it names the box, bottle, or jar that holds something, and it does not usually include labels, film, or filler. You can say 'The cookies came in simple packaging,' but 'The cookies came in a glass container.'

wrapping ↗packing ↗packagecontainer ↗

Etymology

FrenchEnglish

Packaging was formed in English from package plus the ending -ing. The base word package came into English through French from an earlier word meaning a bundle or pack, so packaging originally referred to the act of making a package and then also to the material around it.