meat packing: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C1Technical / Business / Industry-specific
Quick answer
What does “meat packing” mean?
The industry or process of slaughtering animals and preparing their meat for sale, including cutting, processing, packaging, and distribution.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
The industry or process of slaughtering animals and preparing their meat for sale, including cutting, processing, packaging, and distribution.
The business of preparing and packing meat for wholesale trade; can refer metonymically to the entire industry, its workforce, or specific plants (meatpacking plants). Historically associated with specific urban industrial districts.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
The term is used in both varieties, but the industry has a more prominent historical and economic footprint in American discourse (e.g., Chicago, Upton Sinclair's "The Jungle"). In the UK, 'meat processing' is a more common contemporary term.
Connotations
In both, it connotes large-scale industrial operations. In American cultural context, it carries stronger historical connotations of early 20th-century immigrant labor, unionization struggles, and food safety scandals.
Frequency
Higher frequency in American English, particularly in historical, economic, or investigative journalism contexts. Less frequent in everyday UK English.
Grammar
How to Use “meat packing” in a Sentence
the N of meat packingwork in meat packinga job in meat packingthe meat packing N (industry/plant/business)Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “meat packing” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The company specialises in slaughtering and meat packing.
- The region has historically meat-packed for the national market.
American English
- The firm meat-packs over a thousand head of cattle daily.
- They've been meat-packing in Omaha for decades.
adverb
British English
- [Virtually never used as an adverb.]
American English
- [Virtually never used as an adverb.]
adjective
British English
- He took a meat-packing job at the local plant.
- The report highlighted meat-packing hygiene standards.
American English
- She comes from a meat-packing family in Iowa.
- The meat-packing lobby argued against the new regulations.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Referring to a sector of the agribusiness and food manufacturing industry, involving supply chains, exports, and market prices.
Academic
Studied in economic history, labor relations, urban studies, and public health policy.
Everyday
Used when discussing jobs, local industries, or food origins. Not a common everyday topic.
Technical
Refers to specific processes like stunning, bleeding, eviscerating, chilling, cutting (fabrication), packaging, and sanitation protocols (HACCP).
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “meat packing”
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “meat packing”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “meat packing”
- Using it as a verb ("They meat-pack the products"). Use 'process' or 'pack meat' instead.
- Misspelling as one word ("meatpacking" is acceptable, but "meat packing" is standard for the noun phrase).
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Both 'meat packing' (open compound) and 'meatpacking' (closed compound) are used. Dictionaries often list both, with 'meatpacking' as the adjective form and 'meat packing' for the noun phrase denoting the industry.
'Butchery' often implies a smaller-scale, retail, or skilled trade focus. 'Meat packing' refers to the large-scale, industrial process from slaughter to wholesale packaging.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Chicago was the central hub of America's railroad network, leading to the concentration of stockyards and meat packing plants there, immortalised in Upton Sinclair's novel 'The Jungle'.
It is very rare and non-standard. The verb 'to process' or the phrase 'to pack meat' are preferred. The term is primarily a noun (the industry) or used attributively as an adjective (a meat-packing plant).
The industry or process of slaughtering animals and preparing their meat for sale, including cutting, processing, packaging, and distribution.
Meat packing is usually technical / business / industry-specific in register.
Meat packing: in British English it is pronounced /ˈmiːt ˌpæk.ɪŋ/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈmiːt ˌpæk.ɪŋ/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “[None directly associated. The industry inspired the phrase "to come through the meat grinder," meaning to endure a brutal process.]”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a PACK of meat being prepared in a large plant. MEAT + PACKING = the industry that packs meat for stores.
Conceptual Metaphor
INDUSTRY AS A MACHINE ("the meat-packing machine of Chicago"), LABOR AS COMMODITY ("he was ground up in the meat-packing business").
Practice
Quiz
What is the most accurate description of 'meat packing' in a modern context?