Word
carton
Phoneticscar·ton
US/ˈkɑɹtən/
UK/kˈɑːtən/
Definition
n. a light box or container made of cardboard or plastic. You usually use it to hold food or drinks like milk, juice, or eggs.
n. a container made of waxed paper, cardboard, or plastic, typically used for packaging food or liquids. Often refers to the specific volume of the contents rather than just the vessel.
Examples
“I bought a carton of milk at the shop.”
“Please remember to put the empty juice carton in the recycling bin once you finish it.”
“The dairy industry transitioned from glass bottles to plastic-coated cartons to reduce weight and shipping costs, though this shift introduced new challenges for local recycling facilities.”
Examples
simple
“I bought a carton of milk at the shop.”
contextual
“Please remember to put the empty juice carton in the recycling bin once you finish it.”
complex
“The dairy industry transitioned from glass bottles to plastic-coated cartons to reduce weight and shipping costs, though this shift introduced new challenges for local recycling facilities.”
Usage
Commonly used in the partitive construction 'a carton of [liquid/food]'.
Etymology
Borrowed from French carton, from Italian cartone. Doublet of cartoon.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/carton