PACK

Pronunciation (US):

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IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does pack mean? 

• PACK (noun)
  The noun PACK has 9 senses:

1. a large indefinite number

2. a complete collection of similar things

3. a convenient package or parcel (as of cigarettes or film)

4. an association of criminals

5. an exclusive circle of people with a common purpose

6. a group of hunting animals

7. a cream that cleanses and tones the skin

8. a sheet or blanket (either dry or wet) to wrap around the body for its therapeutic effect

9. a bundle (especially one carried on the back)

  Familiarity information: PACK used as a noun is familiar.

• PACK (verb)
  The verb PACK has 13 senses:

1. arrange in a container

2. fill to capacity

3. compress into a wad

4. carry, as on one's back

5. set up a committee or legislative body with one's own supporters so as to influence the outcome

6. have with oneself; have on one's person

7. press tightly together or cram

8. hike with a backpack

9. press down tightly

10. seal with packing

11. have the property of being packable or of compacting easily

12. load with a pack

13. treat the body or any part of it by wrapping it, as with blankets or sheets, and applying compresses to it, or stuffing it to provide cover, containment, or therapy, or to absorb blood

  Familiarity information: PACK used as a verb is familiar.

 Dictionary entry details 

• PACK (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A large indefinite number

Classified under:

Nouns denoting quantities and units of measure

Synonyms:

battalion; large number; multitude; pack; plurality

Context example:

a plurality of religions

Hypernyms ("pack" is a kind of...):

large indefinite amount; large indefinite quantity (an indefinite quantity that is above the average in size or magnitude)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A complete collection of similar things

Classified under:

Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects

Hypernyms ("pack" is a kind of...):

accumulation; aggregation; assemblage; collection (several things grouped together or considered as a whole)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "pack"):

deck; deck of cards; pack of cards (a pack of 52 playing cards)

disc pack; disk pack ((computer science) a portable pack of magnetic disks used in a disk storage device)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A convenient package or parcel (as of cigarettes or film)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("pack" is a kind of...):

package; parcel (a wrapped container)

Derivation:

pack (arrange in a container)

Sense 4

Meaning:

An association of criminals

Classified under:

Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects

Synonyms:

gang; mob; pack; ring

Context example:

a pack of thieves

Hypernyms ("pack" is a kind of...):

association (a formal organization of people or groups of people)

Meronyms (members of "pack"):

gangster; mobster (a criminal who is a member of gang)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "pack"):

nest (a gang of people (criminals or spies or terrorists) assembled in one locality)

youth gang (a gang whose members are teenagers)

Holonyms ("pack" is a member of...):

gangdom; gangland; organized crime (underworld organizations)

Sense 5

Meaning:

An exclusive circle of people with a common purpose

Classified under:

Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects

Synonyms:

camp; clique; coterie; ingroup; inner circle; pack

Hypernyms ("pack" is a kind of...):

band; circle; lot; set (an unofficial association of people or groups)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "pack"):

faction; sect (a dissenting clique)

hard core (the most dedicated and intensely loyal nucleus of a group or movement)

galere; rogue's gallery (a coterie of undesirable people)

maffia; mafia (any tightly knit group of trusted associates)

junta; military junta (a group of military officers who rule a country after seizing power)

cabal; camarilla; faction; junto (a clique (often secret) that seeks power usually through intrigue)

loop (an inner circle of advisors (especially under President Reagan))

brain trust; kitchen cabinet (an inner circle of unofficial advisors to the head of a government)

bohemia (a group of artists and writers with real or pretended artistic or intellectual aspirations and usually an unconventional life style)

Bloomsbury Group (an inner circle of writers and artists and philosophers who lived in or around Bloomsbury early in the 20th century and were noted for their unconventional lifestyles)

Sense 6

Meaning:

A group of hunting animals

Classified under:

Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects

Hypernyms ("pack" is a kind of...):

animal group (a group of animals)

Meronyms (members of "pack"):

Canis familiaris; dog; domestic dog (a member of the genus Canis (probably descended from the common wolf) that has been domesticated by man since prehistoric times; occurs in many breeds)

hound; hound dog (any of several breeds of dog used for hunting typically having large drooping ears)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "pack"):

wolf pack (a group of wolves hunting together)

Sense 7

Meaning:

A cream that cleanses and tones the skin

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

face pack; pack

Hypernyms ("pack" is a kind of...):

corrective; restorative (a device for treating injury or disease)

Sense 8

Meaning:

A sheet or blanket (either dry or wet) to wrap around the body for its therapeutic effect

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("pack" is a kind of...):

corrective; restorative (a device for treating injury or disease)

Derivation:

pack (treat the body or any part of it by wrapping it, as with blankets or sheets, and applying compresses to it, or stuffing it to provide cover, containment, or therapy, or to absorb blood)

Sense 9

Meaning:

A bundle (especially one carried on the back)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("pack" is a kind of...):

bundle; sheaf (a package of several things tied together for carrying or storing)

Derivation:

pack (carry, as on one's back)

pack (load with a pack)

pack (hike with a backpack)

• PACK (verb)

Conjugation:

Sense 1

Meaning:

Arrange in a container

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Context example:

pack the books into the boxes

Hypernyms (to "pack" is one way to...):

case; encase; incase (enclose in, or as if in, a case)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "pack"):

containerise; containerize (package in a container)

bag (put into a bag)

bundle; bundle up; roll up (make into a bundle)

stow (fill by packing tightly)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s something PP
Somebody ----s something with something

Sentence example:

They pack the books into the box

Antonym:

unpack (remove from its packing)

Derivation:

package (a collection of things wrapped or boxed together)

packing (the enclosure of something in a package or box)

packer (a workman employed to pack things into containers)

pack (a convenient package or parcel (as of cigarettes or film))

Sense 2

Meaning:

Fill to capacity

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Context example:

The murder trial packed the court house

Hypernyms (to "pack" is one way to...):

fill; fill up; make full (make full, also in a metaphorical sense)

Cause:

jam; mob; pack; pile; throng (press tightly together or cram)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Sense 3

Meaning:

Compress into a wad

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

bundle; compact; pack; wad

Context example:

wad paper into the box

Hypernyms (to "pack" is one way to...):

arrange; set up (put into a proper or systematic order)

Verb group:

compact; pack (have the property of being packable or of compacting easily)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "pack"):

puddle (work a wet mixture, such as concrete or mud)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s something PP

Derivation:

packing (any material used especially to protect something)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Carry, as on one's back

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Context example:

Pack your tents to the top of the mountain

Hypernyms (to "pack" is one way to...):

carry; transport (move while supporting, either in a vehicle or in one's hands or on one's body)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s something PP

Derivation:

pack (a bundle (especially one carried on the back))

packing (carrying something in a pack on the back)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Set up a committee or legislative body with one's own supporters so as to influence the outcome

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Context example:

pack a jury

Hypernyms (to "pack" is one way to...):

appoint; constitute; name; nominate (create and charge with a task or function)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody

Sense 6

Meaning:

Have with oneself; have on one's person

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Synonyms:

carry; pack; take

Context example:

She packs a gun when she goes into the mountains

Hypernyms (to "pack" is one way to...):

feature; have (have as a feature)

Verb group:

carry (have or possess something abstract)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sentence example:

They pack more bread

Sense 7

Meaning:

Press tightly together or cram

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Synonyms:

jam; mob; pack; pile; throng

Context example:

The crowd packed the auditorium

Hypernyms (to "pack" is one way to...):

crowd; crowd together (to gather together in large numbers)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s PP

Sense 8

Meaning:

Hike with a backpack

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Synonyms:

backpack; pack

Context example:

Every summer they are backpacking in the Rockies

Hypernyms (to "pack" is one way to...):

hike (walk a long way, as for pleasure or physical exercise)

"Pack" entails doing...:

pack (carry, as on one's back)

Domain category:

athletics; sport (an active diversion requiring physical exertion and competition)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s PP

Sentence example:

Sam and Sue pack

Derivation:

pack (a bundle (especially one carried on the back))

packer (a hiker who wears a backpack)

packer (a wholesaler in the meat-packing business)

packing (carrying something in a pack on the back)

Sense 9

Meaning:

Press down tightly

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

pack; tamp; tamp down

Context example:

tamp the coffee grinds in the container to make espresso

Hypernyms (to "pack" is one way to...):

compact; compress; pack together (make more compact by or as if by pressing)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 10

Meaning:

Seal with packing

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Context example:

pack the faucet

Hypernyms (to "pack" is one way to...):

seal; seal off (make tight; secure against leakage)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 11

Meaning:

Have the property of being packable or of compacting easily

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

compact; pack

Context example:

Such odd-shaped items do not pack well

Hypernyms (to "pack" is one way to...):

be (have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun))

Verb group:

bundle; compact; pack; wad (compress into a wad)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s Adjective

Sense 12

Meaning:

Load with a pack

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

load down; pack

Hypernyms (to "pack" is one way to...):

lade; laden; load; load up (fill or place a load on)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s something PP

Derivation:

pack (a bundle (especially one carried on the back))

Sense 13

Meaning:

Treat the body or any part of it by wrapping it, as with blankets or sheets, and applying compresses to it, or stuffing it to provide cover, containment, or therapy, or to absorb blood

Classified under:

Verbs of grooming, dressing and bodily care

Context example:

You had better pack your swollen ankle with ice

Hypernyms (to "pack" is one way to...):

care for; treat (provide treatment for)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s something

Sentence example:

Did he pack his foot?

Derivation:

pack (a sheet or blanket (either dry or wet) to wrap around the body for its therapeutic effect)

 Context examples 

Then he returned and shouldered his pack.

(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)

They might have fought, but even wooing and its rivalry waited upon the more pressing hunger-need of the pack.

(White Fang, by Jack London)

A pattern of prostate carcinoma characterized by the presence of a well circumscribed nodule of separate glands which are closely packed.

(Gleason Pattern 1, NCI Thesaurus)

A dose pack container designed to assist with patient compliance.

(Dialpack, NCI Thesaurus)

You have had a third house packed with planets, and that house rules short-distance travel.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

The tin dishes were packed away unwashed.

(The Call of the Wild, by Jack London)

A tightly packed area of chromatin that may function to protect chromosome integrity and regulate gene expression.

(Heterochromatin, NCI Thesaurus)

I’d rather spare two from the pack, and have Godfrey for my three-quarter line.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

“But if I am to go, I must pack at once, for I have only half an hour.”

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

And yet it’s not so sure; for the buildings are so packed together about the court, that it’s hard to say where one ends and another begins.

(The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson)