1
: a tract or plot of land
a parcel of real estate
2
a
: a wrapped bundle : package
The parcel was shipped today.
b
: a unit of salable merchandise
a parcel in an auction
3
: a company, collection, or group of persons, animals, or things : lot
The whole story was a parcel of lies.
a parcel of giddy young kids—
Mark Twain
Mark Twain
parceled or parcelled; parceling or parcelling
ˈpär-s(ə-)liŋ 
1
: to divide into parts : distribute
—often used with out
2
: to make up into a parcel : wrap
3
: to cover (something, such as a rope) with strips of canvas or tape
Synonyms
Examples of parcel in a Sentence
Noun
a parcel of real estate
her absurd explanation for the collision was a parcel of lies
Verb
parceled out the assignments for work on the parish fair
Recent Examples on the WebSierra Lopez, The Mercury News, 6 June 2024
But the king of all dumplings might just be zongzi, a parcel made of sticky glutinous rice wrapped neatly in a bamboo leaf and filled with umami-rich ingredients, like marinated pork, shiitake mushrooms, peanuts and beans.
—Michelle Tchea, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 June 2024
Quanta Magazine, 28 Nov. 2023
According to Pam Fechter, city’s planning and economic development coordinator, the new owners are renovating the space and may be parceling the building off for multiple tenants.
—Jshortavon, cleveland, 23 July 2023
Amy Dobson, Forbes, 6 Apr. 2021
While parcel demand for the Black Friday and Cyber Monday retail peaks was higher than expected, the threat of industrial action caused customers to divert holiday packages to other companies, Royal Mail said in a statement.
—Anthony Palazzo, Bloomberg.com, 29 Apr. 2020
See all Example Sentences for parcel 
Noun
Loading your audio article BERKELEY — The legal fight over the 2.8-acre parcel of land known as People’s Park may be over, with the California Supreme Court ruling in favor of the University of California Regents, who plan to develop the site into student housing for UC Berkeley.
—Sierra Lopez, The Mercury News, 6 June 2024
But the king of all dumplings might just be zongzi, a parcel made of sticky glutinous rice wrapped neatly in a bamboo leaf and filled with umami-rich ingredients, like marinated pork, shiitake mushrooms, peanuts and beans.
—Michelle Tchea, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 June 2024
Verb
If that rain is parceled into a handful of giant drops, the variation in when those drops hit your roof will be high; sometimes drops will splatter back to back, and at other times they will be spaced out.
—Quanta Magazine, 28 Nov. 2023
According to Pam Fechter, city’s planning and economic development coordinator, the new owners are renovating the space and may be parceling the building off for multiple tenants.
—Jshortavon, cleveland, 23 July 2023
Adjective
The current record, of $147 million, was for a multi-parcel purchase by investor Barry Rosenstein.
—Amy Dobson, Forbes, 6 Apr. 2021
While parcel demand for the Black Friday and Cyber Monday retail peaks was higher than expected, the threat of industrial action caused customers to divert holiday packages to other companies, Royal Mail said in a statement.
—Anthony Palazzo, Bloomberg.com, 29 Apr. 2020
See all Example Sentences for parcel
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'parcel.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near parcel
Cite this Entry
“Parcel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/parcel. Accessed 11 Jun. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
parcel
2 of 2 verb
parceled or parcelled; parceling or parcelling
ˈpär-s(ə-)liŋ
1
: to divide into parts : distribute
2
: to wrap up into a parcel
Legal Definition
parcel
noun
par·cel
ˈpär-səl
: a tract or plot of land
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