unpack

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   To take things out of a bag, box, or suitcase

   It took her an hour to unpack her suitcase after the trip.

2. 2
   verb

   To examine an idea or topic closely in order to explain it

   The teacher took time to unpack the meaning of the poem.

3. 3
   verb

   To open a compressed computer file and restore it to its full size

   You can unpack the downloaded file with the unzip command.

Common collocations

• unpack a bag Verb + noun

From Middle English unpakken, equivalent to un- + pack. Compare Saterland Frisian uutpakje (“to unpack”), West Frisian útpakke (“to unpack”), Dutch uitpakken (“to unpack”), German auspacken (“to unpack”).

Topics