crate

/kreɪt/

/kreɪt/

Other forms: crates; crated; crating

A crate is a wooden container that's made for transporting or shipping goods. Your uncle might send you a crate of Florida oranges for a Christmas gift.

Boxes made of wood that are filled with goods and loaded on trucks, ships, or planes are called crates, and to fill them is also to crate. Groceries are often shipped or delivered in crates, like crates of eggs, milk crates, or a crate of bananas. The amount of some item that fits in one crate is also called a crate — "The market ordered seven crates of ice cream for the Fourth of July weekend."

Definitions of crate

1. noun

   a rugged box (usually made of wood); used for shipping
   types:

   packing box, packing case

   a large crate in which goods are packed for shipment or storage

   soapbox

   a crate for packing soap

   type of:

   box

   a (usually rectangular) container; may have a lid
2. noun

   the quantity contained in a crate
   synonyms: crateful

   type of:

   containerful

   the quantity that a container will hold
3. verb

   put into a crate; as for protection
   “crate the paintings before shipping them to the museum”

   antonyms:

   uncrate

   remove from the crate

   type of:

   case, encase, incase

   enclose in, or as if in, a case