This research aimed to synthesize a modified dextrin adhesive (MDA) with good water resistance and high fluidity for packaging application. The MDA was prepared with dextrin borax and trimethylol melamine (TMM) as raw materials by cross-linking polymerization. The five performance indicators including water resistance, drying rate, initial adhesion, solid content and viscosity of MDA were investigated by changing variables such as the cross-linking temperature, the ratio of TMM, dextrin and borax separately. The TMM improved the water resistance and adhesive strength when the MDA consisted of 0.8% borax and 16% TMM at the cross-linking temperature of 90 ℃, which showed water resistance was up to 123 h. The cross-linking between TMM and dextrin, as well as the structure of MDA was confirmed by FT-IR. The water resistance and viscosity of MDA was improved by crosslinking with TMM and the MDA can be used for corrugated board bonding.