English▸ noun
1 a small cardboard or paper container and the items contained within it:
a pack of cigarettes.
▪ a set of playing cards.
▪ a collection of related documents, especially one kept in a folder:
an information pack.
▪ (often the pack) a quantity of fish, fruit, or other foods packed or canned in a particular season or year.
2 a group of wild animals, especially wolves, living and hunting together:
a pack of wolves will encircle an ailing prey.
▪ a group of hounds kept and used for hunting, especially fox hunting:
the lead hound gives tongue and the pack takes off, following the line of scent.
▪ an organized group of Cub Scouts.
▪ (the pack) the main body of competitors following the leader or leaders in a race or competition:
figurative the company was demonstrating the kind of innovations needed to keep it ahead of the pack.
▪ a group or set of similar things or people:
the reports were a pack of lies
this unsavoury pack of rogues.
▪ Rugby a team's forwards considered as a group:
I had doubts about Swansea's pack at the beginning of the season.
5 a hot or cold pad of absorbent material, especially as used for treating an injury.
▪ a cosmetic mask.
▸ verb [with object]
1 fill (a suitcase or bag), especially with clothes and other items needed when away from home:
[no object] she had packed and checked out of the hotel
I packed a bag with a few of my favorite clothes.
▪ place (something) in a container, especially for transportation or storage:
Elizabeth packed a sandwich in a fanny pack to snack on.
▪ [no object] be capable of being folded up for transportation or storage:
these silver foil blankets pack into a small area.
▪ store (something perishable) in a specified substance in order to preserve it:
the organs were packed in ice.
2 cram a large number of things into (a container or space):
it was a large room, packed with beds jammed side by side.
▪ (of a large number of people) crowd into and fill (a room, building, or place):
students recently packed a hall to hear the poet.
▪ cover, surround, or fill (something):
he packed the wounds with healing malaguetta.
– PHRASES
pack heat North American informal
carry a gun:
stop what one is doing.pack a punch
be capable of hitting with skill or force:
/ British informal
(of a place) very crowded.send someone packing informal
make someone leave in an abrupt or peremptory way:
pack heat North American informal
carry a gun:
he was busted at JFK for packing heat.
pack it in informal stop what one is doing.pack a punch
be capable of hitting with skill or force:
Rosie could pack a hefty punch.
▪ have a powerful effect:
packed out /ˌpakt ˈout , ˌpækt ˈaʊt the Spanish wine packed quite a punch.
(of a place) very crowded.send someone packing informal
make someone leave in an abrupt or peremptory way:
the intrusive outsider is humiliated by the kids and sent packing by the mother.
– PHRASAL VERBS
pack down Rugby
(of players) form or take their places in a scrum:
send someone somewhere without much warning or notice:
pack down Rugby
(of players) form or take their places in a scrum:
we often packed down with only seven men.
pack in pack off (pack someone off, pack off someone) informal send someone somewhere without much warning or notice:
they packed me off to the academy in Baltimore.
pack out pack up – ORIGIN Middle English : from Middle Dutch, Middle Low German pak (noun), pakken (verb). The verb appears early in Anglo-Latin and Anglo-Norman French in connection with the wool trade; trade in English wool was chiefly with the Low Countries.