pack in

See also: pack-in and packin'

English

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

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Verb

pack in (third-person singular simple present packs in, present participle packing in, simple past and past participle packed in)

1. (idiomatic, transitive) To give up, to quit.
   • 1947, Willard Robison (lyrics and music), “Don't Smoke in Bed”, performed by Peggy Lee:

     Goodbye, old sleepyhead / I'm packing you in like I said / Take care of everything / I'm leaving my wedding ring

   • 1989 January, “Riding Harley's flagship”, in American Motorcyclist‎^[1]:

     I rode 700 miles one day before packing it in for the night, yet after 15 minutes of rest in my hotel room, I realized that I could have gone farther.

   • 2009 February 6, “At Dem retreat, a partisan love fest”, in Yahoo! News‎^[2]:

     As the Senate deliberated in Washington – and packed it in for the night without finalizing a deal — Obama brushed pressed House Democrats to finalize

   • 2009 November 7, “Captain Crunch compares 'greener' light bulbs”, in The Sun‎^[3]:

     LAST year I was diagnosed with cervical cancer and had to pack in my job as a full-time cleaner as I needed chemo and radiotherapy

2. (idiomatic) To include (especially of a large amount).
   • 1997 June 13, “MOVIE REVIEW Speed 2: Cruise Control”, in Los Angeles Times:

     Though co-star Keanu Reeves considered this new trip unnecessary, the "Speed 2" crew has packed in lots of references from the original.

   • 2023 September 20, Nigel Harris, “Comment Special: And it's goodbye from me...”, in RAIL, number 992, page 3:

     An unexpected downside was a new generation of trains where the principal aim was to 'pack them in', leading to a sharp slump in ambience and passenger comfort.

3. (mountain climbing) To transport to base camp, especially by backpack.

Anagrams

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