Meaning & use
unpack
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Meanings
verbtransitive or intransitive
To take things out of a suitcase, box or bag and put them where they belong.
Grammar: Can take an object (unpack the bags) or stand alone (I'll unpack later).
Patterns
- unpack something
- unpack your bags
We unpacked as soon as we reached the hotel.
She unpacked a box of dishes.
I'll unpack tomorrow; I'm too tired now.
verbtransitivefigurative
To look closely at an idea, statement or problem by separating it into parts so that it can be understood.
Grammar: Figurative, common in discussions and teaching: unpack an argument.
Patterns
- unpack an idea
- unpack what someone means
Let's unpack what the author means in this passage.
The report unpacks the causes of the crisis.
Can you unpack that statement for us?
verbtransitivecomputing
To open a data file or compressed package and release what is inside.
Grammar: A computing use: unpack an archive.
Patterns
- unpack a file
Unpack the archive into a new folder.
The installer unpacks the files automatically.
Word forms
| third person singular | unpacks |
|---|---|
| past tense | unpacked |
| past participle | unpacked |
| -ing form | unpacking |
Common combinations
- unpack a suitcase
- He unpacked his suitcase in the hotel room.
- unpack your bags
- We unpacked our bags and went for dinner.
- unpack a statement
- The professor unpacked the statement line by line.
- unpack the meaning
- The class tried to unpack the meaning of the poem.
- unpack the groceries
- She unpacked the groceries onto the counter.
Synonyms and how they differ
- unload
- Unload means removing a load from a vehicle or machine, whereas unpack means taking things out of a container to put them away.
- analyze
- Analyze is the formal word for studying parts of something, while unpack sounds more conversational.
- dissect
- Dissect implies picking something apart in great detail, sometimes critically, which is stronger than unpack.
- break down
- Break down is the plain phrase for separating something into parts, and it works for tasks as well as ideas.
Opposites
Word family
- pack verb
- to put things into a container for travel or storage
- unpacking noun
- the act of taking things out of bags or boxes
- unpacked adjective
- not yet put into a container, or already taken out
- repack verb
- to pack again
Commonly confused: unpack or unwrap?
unpack vs unwrap
Unwrap means to take off paper or covering, while unpack means to remove things from a case, box or bag.
Practice
The teacher asked the class to ___ the quotation and explain each part of its meaning.
Choose one answer.
Unpack here means to examine an idea by separating it into parts. Unload, unplug and unlock do not take an idea as an object in this way.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “unpack”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.