crate

[ kreyt ]

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)

, crat·ed, crat·ing.

1. to pack in a crate.

crate

/ 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

Derived Forms

• ˈcrater, noun
• ˈcrateful, noun

Other Words From

• re·crate verb (used with object) recrated recrating
• un·crate verb (used with object) uncrated uncrating
• un·crated adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of crate¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of crate¹

C16: from Latin crātis wickerwork, hurdle

Example Sentences

As noted by The Hollywood Reporter, the scene — “Crate,” which aired in the show's third season in 2014 — has seen heavy circulation since President Joe Biden bowed out of the presidential race, paving the way for Vice President Kamala Harris to claim the Democratic ticket.

From Salon

Abruzzo cradled his delivery, a 10-week-old Boston terrier that had made its way from an Indiana breeder to a broker, then to a crate inside his transport van.

From Los Angeles Times

“I’m so stressed out,” said Sieck, an abortion rights activist and longtime San Francisco political operative who met Kamala Harris in 2003 at a house party where the first-time candidate stood on a milk crate in her high heels and pearls and urged partygoers to vote for her for district attorney.

From Los Angeles Times

“I’m looking at that podium,” Sieck said, recalling waiting for Harris to come on stage at the DNC, “and all I could think about was that milk crate.”

From Los Angeles Times

Each crate contains two snails, according to L’Escargotiere, another company operated by Mr Ball, also based in Ribchester.

From BBC

Related Words

• box
• cage
• carton