What does carton mean?
A carton is a lightweight box or container, most often made of cardboard, paperboard, or moulded plastic, used to package, protect, and transport goods. Cartons are ubiquitous in daily life: milk and juice come in waxed or laminated cartons, eggs sit in moulded pulp cartons, and cigarettes are sold in cartons holding multiple packs. The word can refer either to the empty container or to its contents — one might say 'buy a carton' meaning the product inside. In American usage, a carton frequently denotes a larger outer case enclosing smaller units, while British usage tends toward the individual container. Derived through French from Italian 'cartone', meaning pasteboard or heavy paper, the word shares an origin with 'cartoon', which originally referred to drawings made on such stiff paper. Neutral in tone and universally understood across English-speaking regions, 'carton' is an essential term in retail, shipping, recycling, and everyday shopping vocabulary.
A light cardboard, paperboard, or plastic container used for packaging food, drink, or other goods.
"Please recycle the empty juice carton."
Can refer either to the container itself or, by metonymy, to its contents.
The amount held by such a container; the contents of a carton.
"He drank a whole carton of chocolate milk after practice."
Standard regular plural. Used when referring to multiple containers or quantities, as in 'three cartons of eggs'.
"The warehouse stacked dozens of cartons ready for shipment."
A 'carton' and a 'cartoon' were once the same thing — both trace back to the Italian word for heavy paper or pasteboard.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of carton
The word 'carton' entered English in the early 19th century from French, which had borrowed it from Italian 'cartone', meaning pasteboard or thick paper. 'Cartone' is an augmentative of 'carta', meaning paper, ultimately derived from Latin 'charta'. This same root gives us 'card' and 'chart'. Notably, the word 'cartoon' comes from the identical Italian source, originally denoting a preliminary drawing on sturdy paper before being applied to humorous illustrations and animation.
How carton is actually used
In American English, a 'carton' commonly refers to a large pack containing smaller units, such as a carton of ten packs of cigarettes, whereas in British English it more often denotes the small individual container itself. The word is neutral in register and appears frequently in everyday commercial and household contexts.
Easily confused with carton
A cartoon is a drawing, comic illustration, or animated film, while a carton is a box or container; the two words share an etymology but have entirely different meanings today.