baggage

American  

[bag-ij] / ˈbæg ɪdʒ /

noun

• baggage
  plural

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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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• baggage
  plural

Etymology

Origin of baggage

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

Explanation

Baggage is another word for the bags you put your stuff in when you travel. It’s also known as "luggage" or "suitcases." If someone says you have baggage but you’re not holding anything, they’re talking about emotional baggage. Baggage is the fancy suitcase you collect from an airport carousel or the duffel bag you get out of the trunk. It’s any travel bag you have your personal belongings in. Baggage can also refer to emotions from the past that get in the way of the present. In military terminology, baggage is any equipment that can be carried or hauled along. This is the original definition, from the Old French baggage, "military equipment," from bague, for "bag or bundle."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

baggage

Lithium batteries must be stowed in carry-on baggage only, the US regulator says.

From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026

“A lot of people say, ‘Well, he’s got baggage, he cheated on his wife.’

From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026

Some are offsetting costs by avoiding baggage fees, with 21% of respondents saying they switched to airlines that include baggage in fares and 29% opting to only bring a carry-on to avoid bag fees.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 2026

A Transportation Security Administration spokesperson did not answer specific questions about PS and would say only that the agency “screens all checked and carry-on baggage on commercial flights departing from LAX.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026

I lean my rifle in a corner, I set my pack against the wall, place my helmet on it and fling down my equipment and baggage.

From "All Quiet on the Western Front: A Novel" by Erich Maria Remarque

Related Words

• equipment
• gear
• luggage
• paraphernalia