unboxing

U1N1B3O1X8I1N1G2

noun

The removal of something from its box; an unpacking.

RareScrabble 18

Meanings

unboxing1

verb
  1. gerundparticiplepresentpresent participle and gerund of unbox

unboxing2

noununboxing (countable and uncountable, plural unboxings)

plural unboxings

  1. countableuncountableThe removal of something from its box; an unpacking.

    The most popular unboxings are for expensive gadgets, like the iPhone, Xbox and PlayStation consoles.

    2014 February 13, Heather Kelly, “The bizarre, lucrative world of ‘unboxing’ videos”, in CNN
    1 more example

    Clips of tech-fiends unwrapping new models of cell phones first began turning up on the Internet about a decade ago. Since then, an entire world has blossomed around the unboxing video, with whole YouTube channels dedicated to the unpackaging of dolls, purses, moisturizers, even food.

    2014 December 16, Alex Frank, “Happy Unboxing Day! A Small Guide to the Very Large World of Unboxing Videos”, in Vogue
  2. countableuncountableobject-oriented programmingAutomatic conversion of objects back to value types.

    Autoboxing and unboxing are typically used for collections of primitives. […] Unboxing involves the production of a primitive for each object.

    2014, Robert Liguori, Patricia Liguori, Java 8 Pocket Guide, O'Reilly, →ISBN, page 28

    Antonyms: boxing, autoboxing

Synonyms & antonyms

nounAutomatic conversion of objects back to value types.

Origin

unboxing · verb

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Full word history & related roots →

unboxing · noun

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₂ent-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*h₂énts
  3. Proto-Germanic*anda-
  4. Proto-West Germanic*anda-
  5. Old Englishand-
  6. Old Englishon-
  7. Middle Englishon-
  8. Englishun-
  9. Ancient Greekπῠ́ξος (pŭ́xos)
  10. Ancient Greekπυξίς (puxís)
  11. Late Latinbuxis
  12. Proto-West Germanic*buhsā
  13. Old Englishbox
  14. Middle Englishbox
  15. Englishbox
  16. Englishunbox
  17. Englishunboxing

From unbox + -ing (gerundive ending).

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Finnish purkaminen, purkaminen laatikosta
  • purkaminenremoval of something from its box
  • purkaminen laatikostaremoval of something from its box
  • purkaminen rasiastaremoval of something from its box
  • kuorintaautomatic conversion of objects back to value types
French déballage, unboxing
  • déballageremoval of something from its box
  • unboxingautomatic conversion of objects back to value types
German Auspacken
  • Auspackenremoval of something from its box
Greek αποσυσκευασία
  • αποσυσκευασία (aposyskevasía)removal of something from its box
Russian распако́вка
  • распако́вка (raspakóvka)removal of something from its box
Spanish desembalaje, desempaquetado
  • desembalajeremoval of something from its box
  • desempaquetadoremoval of something from its box
  • desempaqueremoval of something from its box
  • unboxingautomatic conversion of objects back to value types
Ukrainian розпакува́ння
  • розпакува́ння (rozpakuvánnja)removal of something from its box
Cite this entry
APA

unboxing. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/unboxing

MLA

“unboxing.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/unboxing. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “unboxing,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/unboxing.

Source: unboxing on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.