unpack

[ uhn-pak ]

verb (used with object)

1. to undo or remove the contents from (a box, trunk, etc.).
2. to remove (something) from a container, suitcase, etc.
3. to unburden, as the mind; reveal.
4. to decipher or discern (the meaning of symbols, statements, etc.):

   Each statement could be unpacked in the general theory.

5. to remove a pack or load from (a horse, vehicle, etc.).

verb (used without object)

1. to remove the contents of a container.

unpack

/ ʌnˈpæk /

verb

1. to remove the packed contents of (a case, trunk, etc)
2. tr to take (something) out of a packed container
3. tr to remove a pack from; unload

   to unpack a mule

4. tr to explain (a question, issue, etc) by analysing its component parts

Derived Forms

• unˈpacker, noun

Other Words From

• un·packer noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of unpack¹

First recorded in 1425–75, unpack is from the late Middle English word unpakken. See un- ², pack ¹

Example Sentences

At age 76, four decades removed from his formative turn as Sam Malone in “Cheers,” Danson was intrigued by what “A Man on the Inside” attempts to unpack: that older people still have plenty more to contribute to the world and derive a better quality of life through such a sense of belonging.

From Los Angeles Times

Four months later and the Maternas still find it to be too hot to comfortably unpack their home.

From Salon

On this week’s Amicus podcast, Dahlia Lithwick was joined by Linda Greenhouse, the veteran New York Times Supreme Court reporter, opinion columnist, and author of Justice on the Brink: A Requiem for the Supreme Court, to unpack what this new reporting tells us about the chief justice of the United States, his agenda, and what it means for the flotilla of election cases inevitably headed the high court’s way in the coming weeks.

From Slate

This is the animating question of their new documentary, “Will & Harper,” which follows the pair on a cross-country road trip as they unpack Steele’s 2022 coming out as a trans woman.

From Los Angeles Times

As freshers across the UK unpack their bags and prepare for the new academic year, some universities are calling for higher tuition fees.

From BBC

Related Words

• take out
• unload