knapsack

[ nap-sak ]
See synonyms for knapsack on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a canvas, nylon, or leather bag for clothes, food, and other supplies, carried on the back by soldiers, hikers, etc.

Origin of knapsack

1
1595–1605; <Low German knappsack, equivalent to knapp a bite (of food) + sacksack1; compare dialectal English knap to snap up, eat greedily

Other words from knapsack

  • knapsacked, adjective

Words Nearby knapsack

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How to use knapsack in a sentence

  • "I'm looking for a man named Halyard," I said, dropping rifle and knapsack on the fresh-cut, fragrant pile of pine.

    In Search of the Unknown | Robert W. Chambers
  • Magnificent, she said, easing her shoulder of the strap of her knapsack while her eyes followed the driving rain cloud.

    The Romance of His Life | Mary Cholmondeley
  • The stranger looked at it now and then, and at last rose and put out her hand for her knapsack.

    The Romance of His Life | Mary Cholmondeley
  • Just before daybreak he slipped out with a knapsack, taking the road towards Meran.

British Dictionary definitions for knapsack

knapsack

/ (ˈnæpˌsæk) /


noun
  1. a canvas or leather bag carried strapped on the back or shoulder

Origin of knapsack

1
C17: from Low German knappsack, probably from knappen to bite, snap + sack bag; related to Dutch knapzak; see sack 1

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012