A package is a wrapped or boxed item prepared for shipping, mailing, or storage. When you order something online, it arrives at your door in a package: the item is protected by cardboard, bubble wrap, or other materials and sealed up so it can travel safely in trucks, planes, and delivery vans. Before your birthday, you might see wrapped packages hidden in a closet, each one containing a gift someone chose for you.

The word also describes a group of things bundled together as a single unit. A software package includes multiple programs sold together. A vacation package might include your hotel, flights, and meals all in one deal. When a company offers an “employment package,” they mean salary plus benefits like health insurance and vacation time, all combined.

You can use package as a verb, too: to package something means to wrap it up or present it in an appealing way. A bakery might package cookies in a fancy box tied with ribbon. Politicians sometimes package their ideas carefully, presenting them in ways designed to appeal to voters. The word suggests thoughtful preparation: packaging something well means protecting it, organizing it, or making it look attractive so others will want it.