DictionarycrateSturdy container
noun / verb

crate

KRAYT/kreɪt/

A sturdy container or the act of putting something in one.

The wooden crate provides sturdy space for shipping goods.

Sturdy slatted wooden shipping crate open enough to show storage space, plain unmarked wood.
Etymology

Crate first meant a hurdle or grillwork before naming a packing box made of wood or slats. Its proposed ancestors—Latin cratis, “wickerwork,” or Dutch krat, “basket”—both connect it with openwork containers or frames.

In context

Stuff Made Here20:45
they send you a crate every month that has everything that you need
My GIANT wall painting robot

More examples

  • The apples arrived in wooden crates.
  • She lifted an empty crate onto the truck.
  • They crated each sculpture separately.

Forms

crate · crates · crated · crating

Similar words

box
The broader container category.
carton
Usually cardboard rather than a sturdy wooden framework.