unpack

[ uhn-pak ]

See synonyms for unpack on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to undo or remove the contents from (a box, trunk, etc.).
to remove (something) from a container, suitcase, etc.

to unburden, as the mind; reveal.
to decipher or discern (the meaning of symbols, statements, etc.): Each statement could be unpacked in the general theory.
to remove a pack or load from (a horse, vehicle, etc.).

verb (used without object)

to remove the contents of a container.

Origin of unpack

First recorded in 1425–75, unpack is from the late Middle English word unpakken.See un-², pack¹

Other words from unpack

un·pack·er, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use unpack in a sentence

“The blog was really my way of unpacking all this stuff,” she says, and focused on the materials and photographs she had compiled.
Dead and Beautiful: The Art of Taxidermy | William O’Connor | April 16, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Last week, when unpacking my bag from an assignment in Syria, I found my most valuable possession (aside from my 9-year-old son).
Luci: A Revolutionary Solar-Powered Lantern That Shines a Light on Poverty | Janine di Giovanni | May 26, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
She was just unpacking her guitar when security forces grabbed her and carted her away.
Pussy Riot’s Yekaterina Samutsevich Speaks Out | Anna Nemtsova | November 30, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
But unpacking the misleading representation of the poll is insufficient.
That Poll's Apartheid Problem | Noam Shelef | October 23, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
Within half an hour after pitching tents breakfast had been eaten, and much progress made with unpacking the escort wagons.
Uncle Sam's Boys as Lieutenants | H. Irving Hancock

Everybody is unpacking, and I think we may do as we like until supper.
The Nicest Girl in the School | Angela Brazil
Gertrude had arrived on the evening of the third day of the strike, and had busied herself in unpacking her trunk.
The Harris-Ingram Experiment | Charles E. Bolton
There was a great unpacking, during which Captain Bellfield and Mrs. Greenow constantly had their heads in the same hamper.
Can You Forgive Her? | Anthony Trollope
People engaged together in unpacking pies and cold chickens must have their heads in the same hamper.
Can You Forgive Her? | Anthony Trollope

British Dictionary definitions for unpack

unpack

/ (ʌnˈpæk) /

verb

to remove the packed contents of (a case, trunk, etc)
(tr) to take (something) out of a packed container

(tr) to remove a pack from; unload: to unpack a mule
(tr) to explain (a question, issue, etc) by analysing its component parts

Derived forms of unpack

unpacker, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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