pack
pack — verb
- packpresent simple I / you / we / they
- packshe / she / it
- packedpast simple
- packing-ing form
1. to place things inside a bag, box, or similar container so they are ready to car
to place things inside a bag, box, or similar container so they are ready to carry, store, or send.
Nora packed sweaters into one case before the Taipei flight.
pack + noun + into + container
The shop packs tea in silver bags for holiday gifts.
pack + goods + in + package for sale
After lunch, Omar packed the camera and map into his backpack.
We packed oranges in a wooden box for the train ride.
Before dawn, Lena still had to pack for the three-day school camp.
文法句型
pack + noun + into + container
pack + container + with + noun
pack for + trip/event
用法筆記
The broad everyday sense for travel, storage, and sale. It can appear without an object when the trip or event is understood, as in 'pack for camp'.
常見錯誤
2. to cover something with paper, cloth, foam, or other soft material so it will st
to cover something with paper, cloth, foam, or other soft material so it will stay safe while being moved.
The clerk packed the glass vase in thick brown paper.
pack + object + in + protective material
Mina packed each plate with newspaper before the move.
pack + object + with + protective material
Please pack the desk lamp in towels, or the thin shade will bend.
Dad packed the bowls in foam and taped the box shut.
At the post office, Rosa packed the cups with bubble wrap.
文法句型
pack + object + in + soft material
pack + object + with + soft material
用法筆記
Object is usually something easy to break, and the material names what protects it. Distinguish from sense 1, where the focus is simply putting things into a container.
常見錯誤
3. to crowd people or things into a place, or to gather in large numbers until almo
to crowd people or things into a place, or to gather in large numbers until almost no space is left.
Fans packed the station after the singer arrived from Seoul.
pack + place with a large crowd
By noon, tourists were packing into the narrow temple gate.
intransitive: pack into + place
Volunteers packed the truck with bags of rice by dawn.
After lunch, children packed around the clown beside the park fountain.
Reporters packed the courtroom before the mayor heard the verdict.
文法句型
pack + place + with + people/things
pack into + place
pack around + person/thing
用法筆記
Often used when the place becomes very full, especially with people. Distinguish from sense 1: sense 3 is about filling the space tightly, not just putting items inside it.
常見錯誤
4. to press a soft substance until it becomes firm and close together, or to become
to press a soft substance until it becomes firm and close together, or to become firm in this way.
Workers packed the wet soil down around the new fence posts.
pack + substance + down
By sunrise, fresh snow had packed hard across the school path.
intransitive: substance packs hard
Jill packed the sand into a firm wall around the fire pit.
The clay packs tight if you leave it under the wheel.
After weeks of rain, wet leaves packed into a dark layer.
文法句型
pack + soft substance + down
pack + substance + into + shape
substance + packs + hard/tight
用法筆記
Usually used for soil, snow, sand, clay, or similar material. Sense 4 describes compression into a solid layer or shape, unlike sense 3, which is about a place becoming crowded.
常見錯誤
5. to carry a weapon or useful gear with you so it is ready to use.
to carry a weapon or useful gear with you so it is ready to use.
The guard was packing a pistol under his winter coat.
pack + weapon
On night patrol, forest guards pack radios and first-aid kits.
pack + equipment
Rosa packed a small knife when she walked home after work.
On the night search, each rescuer packed a radio, rope, and knife.
- disarm
to take away a weapon
- leave behind
to not carry the item with you
文法句型
pack + weapon
pack + equipment
用法筆記
Often heard with guns in police, crime, or action contexts, but it can also cover practical equipment a person keeps with them. Distinguish from sense 1, where the item is being put into a container rather than carried on the person.
常見錯誤
pack — noun
- packsingular
- packsplural
1. several similar things treated as one set or batch.
several similar things treated as one set or batch.
Before the game, the teacher handed each table a pack of word cards.
a pack of + plural noun
After sports day, three packs of stickers went into the prize bags.
Dad keeps a pack of blank cards for thank-you notes.
At the park gate, each camper got a pack of trail maps.
Before breakfast, the guide opened a pack of spare coffee filters.
- set
common for items that belong together for one purpose
- bundle
often suggests things tied or gathered together physically
- collection
broader and can be larger or less neatly grouped
- single
one item rather than a grouped unit
文法句型
a pack of + plural noun
用法筆記
Focus is on the items as a unit, not on the wrapping. Distinguish from sense 8, where pack means the paper or card container itself.
常見錯誤
2. animals moving as one hunting unit, especially wolves or dogs.
animals moving as one hunting unit, especially wolves or dogs.
At dusk, a pack of wolves moved across the frozen river.
a pack of wolves/dogs
The farmer heard a pack of wild dogs behind the barn.
Hunters watched the pack circle a deer near the pines.
By morning, the wolf pack had left tracks near our tent.
- lone animal
one animal moving by itself
文法句型
a pack of wolves/dogs
用法筆記
Usually used for animals that move with group order or attack together. It is much more specific than the general item-group sense in sense 1.
常見錯誤
3. a local group of children in the Cub Scouts or Brownies.
a local group of children in the Cub Scouts or Brownies.
Ella's Cub pack met in the church hall on Tuesdays.
Cub pack / Brownie pack
After the toy-car race, parents brought sandwiches for the pack.
A new leader joined the Brownie pack before summer camp.
During the parade, the pack carried blue flags down Main Street.
文法句型
Cub pack
Brownie pack
用法筆記
This is a fixed scouting term, not a general word for any school club or team.
常見錯誤
4. all the cards used together in one card game.
all the cards used together in one card game.
Grandpa shuffled the pack before dealing cards to the children.
shuffle the pack
One card was missing from the pack on the kitchen table.
Nina opened a fresh pack after the old cards bent.
From his coat pocket, Leo pulled out a pack for the game.
文法句型
a pack of cards
shuffle the pack
用法筆記
This meaning is especially common in British English. American English often uses 'deck' for the same object.
常見錯誤
5. a group of people spoken about as all the same, especially in a disapproving way
a group of people spoken about as all the same, especially in a disapproving way.
The mayor called the vandals a noisy pack of bullies.
a pack of + negative plural noun
Mrs. Green refused to let that pack into her cafe.
At school, Ben stopped following the pack that mocked new students.
To me, the men outside looked like a pack of thieves.
- friends
a positive group rather than one seen negatively
文法句型
a pack of + negative plural noun
用法筆記
Usually carries criticism or contempt. Distinguish from sense 2, where the members are animals rather than people.
常見錯誤
6. the paper or card wrapper that small goods come in when they are sold together.
the paper or card wrapper that small goods come in when they are sold together.
At the checkout shelf, Mia grabbed a pack of colored pencils.
a pack of + small goods
Two batteries were missing from the pack on the kitchen table.
The cashier opened a fresh pack of gum for the display.
Each camp child received a pack of wet wipes at check-in.
A torn pack let the screws spill across the floor.
文法句型
a pack of + small goods
用法筆記
This sense points to the wrapper or container itself, often when it is opened, torn, or set on display. Distinguish from sense 1, where pack means the set of items as a unit.
常見錯誤
7. a bag worn on your back, especially for travel, hiking, or camping.
a bag worn on your back, especially for travel, hiking, or camping.
Jin slid a map into his pack before the mountain walk.
pack = backpack
Lina's pack rubbed one shoulder during the long bus trip.
At the hostel, three wet shirts hung from Marco's pack.
A blue pack lay beside the tent after sunrise.
The guide checked every pack before the class crossed the river.
文法句型
carry / wear a pack
用法筆記
Often appears in outdoor or travel contexts and is common with words like hiking, camping, or shoulder straps. Distinguish from sense 8, which is the container a product is sold in.
常見錯誤
8. the main body of racers chasing those at the very front.
the main body of racers chasing those at the very front.
By the second hill, Emi had slipped back into the main pack.
fall back into the pack
Rain slowed the leader, and the pack closed the gap.
For two laps, Maya stayed with the pack near lane three.
Halfway through the race, the pack stayed three seconds behind.
- leader
the racer ahead of the chasing group
文法句型
the pack
fall back into the pack
用法筆記
Usually appears as 'the pack' in racing. It refers to the main chasing group, not to every competitor in the event.
常見錯誤
9. the players at the front of a rugby team who do most of the pushing and close ph
the players at the front of a rugby team who do most of the pushing and close physical play.
The pack drove the other team back from the goal line.
rugby: the pack
By halftime, our pack looked spent after three goal-line scrums.
Before the next scrum, the coach told the pack to stay low.
A stronger pack helped Bristol win the ball near the posts.
- forwards
the standard rugby term and slightly broader than the shorter team nickname 'pack'
- forward line
more explicit and often used when contrasting them with the backs
- backs
the faster players behind the forwards in rugby
文法句型
the pack
a strong pack
用法筆記
Usually used with 'the' in rugby reports and match talk. Distinguish from noun senses 1 to 6, which are about groups of animals, people, or things rather than team positions.
10. a thick beauty cream or paste spread on the face for a short time to help the sk
a thick beauty cream or paste spread on the face for a short time to help the skin.
After work, Emma spread a cooling pack over her cheeks.
beauty use: pack on the face
The clay pack dried white while Nora read by the hotel window.
A mint pack left Ben's skin smooth after ten minutes.
On Sundays, Grandma mixes yogurt and honey into a face pack.
The magazine showed how to wash the face pack off gently.
文法句型
face pack
put a pack on + face
用法筆記
Often modified by face, clay, mud, or cooling. Distinguish from sense 11, where a pack is placed on an injury or sore body part rather than used for skin care.
11. a folded pad of cloth or similar material put on a hurt part of the body to help
a folded pad of cloth or similar material put on a hurt part of the body to help with bleeding, pain, or swelling.
The nurse pressed a thick pack of gauze on Leo's cut knee.
medical use: pack on an injury
A hot pack eased Maya's stiff neck after the long drive.
hot pack for therapy
Dad held a clean pack over the wound until help came.
At the clinic, warm packs were laid across both swollen wrists.
The doctor changed the pack when blood soaked through it.
- compress
the closest medical term and common in formal instructions
- dressing
broader and often refers to material left on a wound under a bandage
- bandage pad
more explicit when the soft part is used under a bandage
文法句型
put a pack on / against + injury
用法筆記
Often appears with hot, warm, or cold and is followed by on or against a body part. Distinguish from sense 10, which is a beauty product for the face.
pack — adjective
- packpositive
- packercomparative
- packestsuperlative
1. used for people or groups that know each other very closely and are hard for out
used for people or groups that know each other very closely and are hard for outsiders to join.
By Friday, Isla and Morag were so pack that they finished each other's jokes.
predicative adjective after be
The fishing village stayed pack, so strangers heard wedding news last.
After months on the team, Hamish and Calum looked pack already.
After the storm week, the three cousins grew pack in Grandma Jean's house.
- distant
lacking personal warmth or closeness
文法句型
be/seem/stay/grow + pack
用法筆記
Chiefly Scottish and very uncommon. Usually found after a linking verb, and it often suggests a circle that feels closed to outsiders as well as emotionally close.
常見錯誤
pack — suffix
1. added after a number to name a product unit that contains that many items for sa
added after a number to name a product unit that contains that many items for sale together.
Leo grabbed a six-pack of soda before the beach train.
number-pack of + goods
The store sells screws in a 50-pack near the paint aisle.
hyphenated number compound
Each camper received a two-pack of soap in the welcome bag.
Mom compared a four-pack with four single yogurts at the store.
文法句型
number-pack
number-pack of + goods
用法筆記
Used after a number to label retail packaging such as 'six-pack' or '12-pack'. It names the sales unit, not the individual item inside it.