package

noun, verb — 14 senses

package

noun

US, UK /ˈpæk.ɪd͡ʒ/

Etymology Equivalent to pack + -age. Possibly influenced by Anglo-Latin paccagium or Old French pacquage.

11 senses
  1. 1Something which is packed, a parcel, a box, an envelope.
  2. 2Something which consists of various components, such as…
  3. 3A piece of software which has been prepared in such a…
  4. 4The act of packing something.
  5. 5Something resembling a package.
  6. 6A package holiday.
  7. 7A football formation.
  8. 8The male genitalia.
  9. 9A charge made for packing goods.
  10. 10A group of related stories spread over several pages.
  11. 11Synonym of wrap (“complete news report ready for broadcast”).
1

Something which is packed, a parcel, a box, an envelope.

  • A dirty package was left in my home.
2

Something which consists of various components, such as a piece of computer software.

  • Did you test the software package to ensure completeness?
  • It’s now created a system where creators should be afraid to make a series that dares to end on a cliffhanger or save anything for future seasons, lest their story forever be left unfinished. And viewers are afraid to commit to any show that isn’t a completely aired package lest they spend 10-30 hours on something that ends up unresolved, which has happened dozens and dozens of times, creating a vast “show graveyard” within Netflix.2023 January 17, Paul Tassi, “Netflix Has Created A Self-Fulfilling Cancelation Loop With Its New Shows”, in Forbes:
3

Computing, Engineering, Mathematics, Natural sciences, Physical sciences, Sciences, Software A piece of software which has been prepared in such a way that it can be installed with a package manager.

4

Archaic The act of packing something.

  • for, it has often happened that, without any accident at ſea, heavy averages, owing to bad package and ſtowage only, have been demanded, and paid by inſurers1781, A Complete Digest of the Theory, Laws, and Practice of Insurance, page 106:
  • The Company's instructions to the supracargoes of their ships are very particular as to the mode of package and stowage.1813, William Milburn, Oriental Commerce: Containing a Geographical Description of the Principal Places in the East Indies, China, and Japan, with Their Produce, Manufactures, and Trade, Including the Coasting Or Country Trade from Port to Port: also the Rise and Progress of the Trade of the Various European Nations with the Eastern World, Particularly that of the English East India Company from the Discovery of the Passage Round the Cape of Good Hope to the Present Period: with an Account of the Company's Establishments, volume II, London: Black, Parry, and Co., page 533:
1 more example
  • But we see more; we see a very curious and artificial arrangement of the fibres very much contributing to facilitate their package, and by which they mutually support one another and act with the greatest advantage.1849, “TONGUE”, in Robert Bentley Todd, editor, The cyclopædia of anatomy and physiology, volume IV, London: Sherwood, Gilbert, and Piper, Paternoster-Row, pages 1127/2-1128/1, column 2:
5

Something resembling a package.

6

A package holiday.

7

A football formation.

  • the "dime" defensive package
  • For third and short, they're going to bring in their jumbo package.
8

Euphemistic, Vulgar The male genitalia.

  • The women usually wore bikini tops with shorts, swimsuits underneath cover-ups or just swimsuits. Men came in various types of trunks, from traditional boxers, to Speedos, to G-string trunks that showcased their packages.2013, Velvet Carter, Blissfully Yours, page 93:
9

Historical A charge made for packing goods.

10

Journalism, Media A group of related stories spread over several pages.

11

Broadcasting, Media, Radio, Television Synonym of wrap (“complete news report ready for broadcast”).

  • Attend a news conference, and prepare a wrap or package.2005, Ted White, Broadcast News: Writing, Reporting, and Producing, page 245:
Derived terms
care package, complete package, metapackage, multipackage, nanopackage, original package doctrine, package deal, package film, package format, package leaflet, package management system, package saver, package store, package tour, physics package, red package, retropackage, service design package, software package, subpackage, superpackage, total package, whole package

package

verb

Etymology Equivalent to pack + -age. Possibly influenced by Anglo-Latin paccagium or Old French pacquage.

1

To pack or bundle something.

2

To travel on a package holiday.

3

To prepare (a book, a television series, etc.), including all stages from research to production, in order to sell the result to a publisher or broadcaster.

Derived terms
copackage, depackage, mispackage, overpackage, packageability, packageable, packager, prepackage, repackage, underpackage, unpackage

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.

Learn more