[Elamur Dictionary](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/unpack/)

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# unpack

verb (unpack, unpacks, unpacked, unpacking)

«unpack» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. To take things out of a bag, suitcase or box: "unpack your suitcase". [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/unpack/#m1)
2. To explain something step by step so it is easier to understand: "Let's unpack this question." [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/unpack/#m2)

### In the lessons

In everyday life families unpack after a holiday or a move, and pupils unpack their school bags. In maths and English lessons, teachers ask pupils to "unpack the question": find what it tells you and what it asks. Phrases: unpack the shopping, unpack your bag, unpack the problem.

### Examples

- Please unpack your bag and hang up your coat. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/unpack/#x1)
- We unpacked the shopping and put it away. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/unpack/#x2)
- It took a week to unpack after moving house. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/unpack/#x3)
- Let us unpack the word problem: what do we know? [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/unpack/#x4)
- She unpacked her suitcase as soon as we got home. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/unpack/#x5)
- Unpack the box carefully; the plates might break. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/unpack/#x6)
- But then the rose-tree with the beautiful rose was unpacked. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/unpack/#x7)

### Note

Regular verb: unpack, unpacked. "Un-" here means the opposite action: pack, unpack. In maths, unpacking a word problem means underlining the numbers and the question before you start calculating.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «unpack» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/unpack/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«unpack» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/unpack.html) on Mova free.