Word.ws English Dictionary

overpack

overpack verb: to pack too much.

Verb

overpack (third-person singular simple present overpacks, present participle overpacking, simple past and past participle overpacked)

  1. (intransitive) To pack too much.
    • The opportunity to start over reawakens the belief that I can become someone else -- an organized, thrifty, wise, elegant, worldly traveler, rather than the disorganized, frumpy, overpacked and harried traveler that I am.2000 March 12, Julia Duffy Ward, “On the Road to Reform: The Traveler Within”, in The New York Times
    • The mix of ballet vocabulary, modern techniques and African steps is familiar, but the extent to which Mr. Rhoden packs — and overpacks — phrases, cultivates warp-speed delivery and hyperextends every possible hip jut and arabesque is, thank goodness, something special to Complexions.2007 November 23, Claudia La Rocco, “Ballet and African Steps, Delivered at Warp Speed”, in The New York Times
    Antonyms:
    underpack

Noun

overpack (plural overpacks)

  1. A container intended to hold smaller containers.
    • Each container in an overpack must be a package authorized for that hazardous material in the HMR.2011, Minnesota Department of Transportation, “Minnesota Commercial Truck and Passenger Regulations Fact Sheet”, in http://www.dot.state.mn.us/, archived from the original on 25 Jun 2013

Examples of overpack in a sentence

  • The truth is, I tend to overpack like everyone else, and this summer is no different.2008 May 14, Matt Gross, “What is in Matt’s Duffel Bag?”, in The New York Times:
  • Infrequent travelers tend to overpack, stuffing suitcases full of a different outfit for every day of the week, plus a few extras — just in case.2008 June 15, Michelle Higgins, “Checking Baggage? Not at These Prices”, in The New York Times:
  • If you’re prone to overpacking and could use external structure, limit yourself intentionally: Pick a small carry-on bag or travel backpack and stick with it.2022 December 1, Kit Dillon, “How to Maximize Space as You’re Packing”, in Wirecutter:

Antonyms of overpack

Forms of overpack

Verb
third-person singular presentoverpacks
present participleoverpacking
past participleoverpacked
pastoverpacked
Noun
pluraloverpacks

Origin of overpack

From over- + pack.

Questions about overpack

What does overpack mean?
Overpack means to pack too much.
How do you use overpack in a sentence?
The truth is, I tend to overpack like everyone else, and this summer is no different.
What part of speech is overpack?
Overpack can be a verb or a noun.
What is the past tense of overpack?
The past tense of overpack is overpacked.

Words near overpack in the dictionary

  1. overoxygenate
  2. overoxygenated
  3. overoxygenates
  4. overoxygenating
  5. overoxygenation
  6. overpack
  7. overpackage
  8. overpackaged
  9. overpackages
  10. overpackaging
  11. overpacked

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: overpack (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this entry: “overpack.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/overpack. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.