Meaning & use
unpack
To remove the contents from a suitcase, box, or bag after arriving somewhere.
See it in a sentence
We spent the whole afternoon unpacking boxes after moving into the new apartment.
She unpacked her suitcase as soon as she checked into the hotel.
A note on using this word
Unpack is also used figuratively to mean examining an idea or statement piece by piece to understand it fully.
Words with a similar meaning
empty out
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
Another way to use it
2. verb
To examine an idea, statement, or situation carefully by breaking it into its separate parts.
The professor asked students to unpack the argument's hidden assumptions.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “unpack”, then compare your use with the examples above.
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