a container or receptacle of leather, plastic, cloth, paper, etc., capable of being closed at the mouth; pouch.
something resembling or suggesting such a receptacle.
a suitcase or other portable container for carrying articles, as in traveling.
the amount or quantity a bag can hold.
any of various measures of capacity.
a sac, as in an animal body.
an udder.
Slang. a small glassine or cellophane envelope containing a narcotic drug or a mixture of narcotics.
something hanging in a loose, pouchlike manner, as skin or cloth; a baggy part.
He had bags under his eyes from lack of sleep.
Baseball. base.
Hunting. the amount of game taken, especially by one hunter in one hunting trip or over a specified period.
Slang.
a person's avocation, hobby, major interest, or obsession.
Jazz isn't my bag.
a person's mood or frame of mind.
The boss is in a mean bag today.
an environment, condition, or situation.
bags,
Informal. plenty; much; many (usually followed byof ).
bags of time; bags of money.
Slang. trousers.
to swell or bulge.
A stiff breeze made the sails bag out.
to hang loosely like an empty bag.
His socks bagged at the ankles.
to pack groceries or other items into a bag.
Slang. to criticize, disparage, or dismiss a person or thing (usually followed byon ).
Stop bagging on me!
to cause to swell or bulge; distend.
The wind bagged the curtain.
to put into a bag.
Informal. to kill or catch, as in hunting.
I bagged my first deer when I was a teenager.
Slang. to quit, abandon, or skip (often used in the phrasebag it ): We'd better bag the deal.
I bagged my math class today.
We'd better bag the deal.
I was working too hard so I decided to bag it.
Slang. to criticize, disparage, or dismiss.
Don’t bag my vegan diet—I feel great since I started it.
Theater. clew.
bag of tricks, a supply of expedient resources; stratagems.
Maybe they will finally be honest with us, once they've run through their bag of tricks.
bag and baggage,
with all one's personal property.
When they went to collect the rent, they found he had left, bag and baggage.
completely; totally.
The equipment had disappeared, bag and baggage, without even the slightest trace.
in the bag, virtually certain; assured; definite: The sale of the house is in the bag.
Her promotion is in the bag.
The sale of the house is in the bag.
old bag, an unattractive, often slatternly woman.
a gossipy old bag.
leave holding the bag / sack, to force to bear the entire blame, responsibility, or loss that was to have been shared.
His accomplices flew to South America and he was left holding the bag.
bag of bones, an emaciated person or animal.
a flexible container with an opening at one end
Also called: bagful. the contents of or amount contained in such a container
any of various measures of quantity, such as a bag containing 1 hundredweight of coal
a piece of portable luggage
short for handbag
anything that hangs loosely, sags, or is shaped like a bag, such as a loose fold of skin under the eyes or the bulging part of a sail
any pouch or sac forming part of the body of an animal, esp the udder of a cow
hunting the quantity of quarry taken in a single hunting trip or by a single hunter
derogatory an ugly or bad-tempered woman (often in the phrase old bag )
slang a measure of marijuana, heroin, etc, in folded paper
slang a person's particular taste, field of skill, interest, activity, etc
blues is his bag
informal
with all one's belongings
entirely
a lean creature
slang almost assured of succeeding or being obtained
informal every device; everything
(tr) to put into a bag
to bulge or cause to bulge; swell
(tr) to capture or kill, as in hunting
(tr) to catch, seize, or steal
(intr) to hang loosely; sag
(tr) to achieve or accomplish
she bagged seven birdies
informal (tr) to reserve or secure the right to do or to have something
he bagged the best chair
slang (tr) to criticize; disparage
Although bag and sack are both used everywhere throughout the U.S., the more commonly used word in the North Midland U.S. is bag and in the South Midland is sack.
First recorded in 1200–50; 1920–25 bag for def. 31; Middle English bagge, from Old Norse baggi “pack, bundle, bag”
A bag is a lightweight, flexible container meant for carrying things. A grocery bag is one you bring home from the supermarket full of food. In some places the word sack is more common, but the handled container you get at the store when you buy something is usually called a bag. You can also refer to a suitcase, handbag, or purse as a bag. When the word is used as a verb, it can mean "to put in a bag," but also "to catch something." Figuratively, you can "be left holding the bag," which means to be swindled or cheated.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The Loop Small Flap Shoulder Bag, coming this summer, was made with the help of AI.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 23, 2026
Part of what makes Davis such an intrepid performer is, as Bag said, that she “will not tolerate a passive audience.”
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 9, 2025
Appeared in the October 18, 2025, print edition as 'California Sues Plastic Bag Makers Over Recycling'.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 17, 2025
Munsch, whose 85 published books include The Paper Bag Princess and Love You Forever, was diagnosed with dementia in 2021 and also has Parkinson's disease.
From BBC • Sep. 16, 2025
When my daughter found me, I was stocking shelves in a Bag ’n Go market.
From "Milkweed" by Jerry Spinelli
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
