crate

American  

[kreyt] / kreɪt /

noun

1. a slatted wooden box or framework for packing, shopping, or storing fruit, furniture, glassware, crockery, etc.

2. any completely enclosed boxlike packing or shipping case.

3. Informal.  something rickety and dilapidated, especially an automobile.

   They're still driving around in the old crate they bought 20 years ago.

4. a quantity, especially of fruit, that is often packed in a crate approximately 2 × 1 × 1 foot (0.6 × 0.3 × 0.3 meters).

   a crate of oranges.

---

verb (used with object)

crated, crating

1. to pack in a crate.

crate British  

/ kreɪt /

noun

1. a fairly large container, usually made of wooden slats or wickerwork, used for packing, storing, or transporting goods

2. slang  an old car, aeroplane, etc

---

verb

1. (tr) to pack or place in a crate

Other Word Forms

• crateful noun
• crater noun
• recrate verb (used with object)
• uncrate verb (used with object)
• uncrated adjectiveuncrated, uncrating

Etymology

Origin of crate

1350–1400; 1915–20 crate for def. 3; Middle English, obscurely akin to Latin crātis wickerwork, hurdle

Example Sentences

Joanna went over to Venice to sift through crates and crates of the gold leaf mosaic to find the right colours.

From BBC

Amid applause, the pint-size canine trotted to her crate for treats, water and rest until the next round of the North American Weight Pull Association competition.

From The Wall Street Journal

His family says they fill large crates with 500 pounds of lemons, oranges and grapefruit, often in triple-digit heat without any company-paid breaks.

From Los Angeles Times

Sotheby’s old York Avenue space was designed to be a one-stop-shop for art, so consigned pieces arrived in crates, were photographed and cataloged, then cleaned and reframed if needed—and eventually sold.

From The Wall Street Journal

The serval did not want to go into her crate.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• box
• cage
• carton