noun
carton
KAH-tuhn
noun
1
A lightweight box made of cardboard or waxed paper, used to package goods.
"She grabbed a carton of milk from the fridge."
"He bought a carton of cigarettes at the duty-free shop."
How to Use Carton
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA cardboard or waxed-paper box used for packaging things like milk, eggs, or cigarettes.
Easily confused with
Common pairings
milk carton
egg carton
a carton of cigarettes
Word Forms
cartoned past tense, cartons plural, cartons singular
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She grabbed a _____ of milk from the fridge.
Etymology
Borrowed from French carton, from Italian cartone — a doublet of "cartoon," which originally meant a large sheet of stiff paper used for sketches.