parcel
Americannoun
-
an object, article, container, or quantity of something wrapped or packed up; small package; bundle.
-
a quantity or unit of something, as of a commodity for sale; lot.
-
a group, collection, or assemblage of persons or things.
- Synonyms:
- assortment, batch
-
a distinct, continuous portion or tract of land.
-
a part, portion, or fragment.
verb (used with object)
adverb
noun
-
something wrapped up; package
-
a group of people or things having some common characteristic
-
a quantity of some commodity offered for sale; lot
-
a distinct portion of land
-
an essential part of something (esp in the phrase part and parcel )
verb
-
(often foll by up) to make a parcel of; wrap up
-
(often foll by out) to divide (up) into portions
-
nautical to bind strips of canvas around (a rope)
adverb
Synonym Usage
See package.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of parcel
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English, from Middle French parcelle, from unattested Late Latin particella, fresh formation for Latin particula; see particle, passel
Explanation
A parcel is a part of something, or a division. It can also be a package or a collection of things wrapped together. Parcel comes from the Anglo-Norman word for "part." Often when we use parcel to mean a part, we're talking about land, which is divided into definable (and purchasable) tracts. As a verb, parcel means to divide something into parts, just as after trick-or-treating you might parcel your candy stash into piles of chocolates, peppermints, or toffees. If you're selling the family farm, you might parcel it into four small plots.
Vocabulary lists containing parcel
"The Great Gatsby," Chapter 1 Vocabulary
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Maus I: My Father Bleeds History
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Revolution in Our Time
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
"It's such a large parcel of land in our National Park and it's come up for sale at this time so there's a little bit of urgency to get the ball rolling," he said.
From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026
Duhamel began his off-grid spread with the purchase of a 12-acre parcel, which he has since expanded to around 50 acres after buying up additional plots.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 1, 2026
According to planning applications, Jenner had earmarked the parcel to serve as the location of an enormous 18,000-square-foot property that would offer her additional privacy and more room for her family to enjoy.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026
The breakup, which got approval from FedEx’s board in May, is aimed at sharpening FedEx’s focus on its core parcel and logistics network.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026
But it was before Uncle Drum sold that last parcel.
From "The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle" by Leslie Connor
She runs an organisation supporting other women who have been detained, and, using a secret network, helps send parcels from families to those still in captivity.
From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026
To check whether specific parcels are included in the ordinance, follow this link and check the box that says “Opportunity Station Sites Eligible for Low Rise.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
In this case, the proposed BID encompasses more than 160 parcels that are owned by more than 70 property owners within the “flats” area adjacent to a series of railroad tracks.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 20, 2026
Brussels has also taken several steps to protect its market from what it describes as unfair Chinese competition, including slapping extra levies on small parcels from China.
From Barron's ● May 22, 2026
“Nothing at all, madam,” he assured her, as he put the parcels into her arms and bowed again.
From "Mary Poppins" by P. L. Travers
The acres parceled out for Stratos all lie on private, unzoned property, and the landowners there had already granted their blessing.
From Slate ● Jun. 1, 2026
Certain credits are parceled out quarterly or even monthly, and premium cards can have the feel of a coupon book.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2025
Most of that funding has been parceled out in grants of $50,000 or less, and more than half of that funding flowed directly to individual states’ humanities councils.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 5, 2025
General Ryder said that 569 metric tons of aid had made it onto Gaza’s shore but that those supplies had yet to be parceled out by humanitarian organizations.
From New York Times ● May 21, 2024
None of the historical residents of Epiphany liked the idea of having the Sillington place parceled off for a subdivision.
From "The View From Saturday" by E.L. Konigsburg
In the run-up to “One Battle After Another,” DiCaprio played the traditional role of the elusive movie star, parceling out access and promotional appearances.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 12, 2026
California became an agricultural powerhouse by taming its rivers and parceling out their flows.
From New York Times ● Jan. 18, 2024
As he grew in each, he assumed the role of the lovelord, parceling it out to all he came across while saving just enough for himself.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 7, 2022
Inside the Weggs’ yellow colonial, on five acres north of Indianapolis, Rodney had been parceling out limited information.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 21, 2021
Or was it just more of the same parceling out of fortunes that had brought us this far, to this place where our path would finally divide into two?
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
When the crowd - penned 10-deep all along the Mall for hours - surged into the area in front of the palace, you could have parcelled up the joy and sold it around the world.
From BBC ● Jun. 5, 2022
Just open up a page and experience the meditative calm of reading alphabetized lists that are parcelled into neat little sections.
From Slate ● Feb. 14, 2020
Indeed, American cultural history could probably be parcelled out as a sequence of sensational murder cases.
From The New Yorker ● Apr. 8, 2019
Individual land ownership is often ineffectual for forests and rangelands, which lose their value when parcelled up.
From Economist ● Jul. 14, 2016
That first captain walled their promontory, built their homes and shrines, and parcelled out the black land for the plow.
From "The Odyssey" by Homer
Congo-Brazzaville's government has already begun parcelling out blocks of land and looking for potential investors, although there is some uncertainty about the extent and significance of the oil reserves.
From BBC ● Jun. 16, 2022
Given all this filtering and parcelling out, it’s not surprising that memory is imperfect.
From The Guardian ● Oct. 12, 2014
And once you begin parcelling out roles rather than wrapping them together in a single nightmare bundle, it gets rather easier to find George Entwistle's successor.
From The Guardian ● Nov. 18, 2012
Popular in Czechoslovakia is the Government's policy of seizing the broad acres of great nobles and parcelling them out among the poor.
From Time Magazine Archive
This fills up the grooves and makes the rope smooth and ready for serving or parcelling.
From Knots, Splices and Rope Work A Practical Treatise by Verrill, A. Hyatt (Alpheus Hyatt)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
