baggage

American  

[bag-ij] / ˈbæg ɪdʒ /

noun

1. trunks, suitcases, etc., used in traveling; luggage.

2. the portable equipment of an army.

3. things that encumber one's freedom, progress, development, or adaptability; impediments.

   intellectual baggage that keeps one from thinking clearly; neurotic conflicts that arise from struggling with too much emotional baggage.

4. Archaic.

   1. a worthless woman.

   2. a prostitute or disreputable woman.

   3. Often Disparaging. a pert, playful young woman or girl.

      a pretty baggage; a saucy baggage.

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baggage British  

/ ˈbæɡɪdʒ /

noun

1. 1. suitcases, bags, etc, packed for a journey; luggage

   2. ( as modifier )

      baggage car

2. an army's portable equipment

3. informal

   1. a pert young woman

   2. an immoral woman or prostitute

4. informal a cantankerous old woman

5. informal previous knowledge and experience that a person may use or be influenced by in new circumstances

   cultural baggage

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Etymology

Origin of baggage

1400–50; late Middle English bagage < Middle French, equivalent to Old French bag ( ues ) bundles, packs (perhaps < Old Norse; bag ) + -age -age

Example Sentences

Tougher tests will come but England teams have crumbled in pressure moments while carrying far less baggage than this one.

From BBC

The star appeared as an air stewardess, twirling her way through baggage reclaim while shrugging off a bevy of useless men – a surgeon, a priest, a magician, an astronaut.

From BBC

She took to the stage dressed as a stewardess, dancing across luggage carousels and navigating male dancers dressed as baggage handlers.

From BBC

Southwest Airlines turned heads when it shifted away from decades-old practices and embraced baggage fees and assigned passenger seating, but now it forecasts a big boost for 2026 profit because of those changes.

From Barron's

But he comes with baggage that could give pause to any president seeking a loyalist.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• equipment
• gear
• luggage
• paraphernalia