backpack

American  

[bak-pak] / ˈbækˌpæk /

noun

1. a pack or knapsack, often of canvas or nylon, to be carried on one's back, sometimes supported on a lightweight metal frame strapped to the body.

2. a piece of equipment designed to be used while being carried on the back.

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verb (used without object)

1. to go on a hike, using a backpack.

   We went backpacking in the Adirondacks.

verb (used with object)

1. to place or carry in a backpack or on one's back.

backpack British  

/ ˈbækˌpæk /

noun

1. a rucksack or knapsack

2. a pack carried on the back of an astronaut, containing oxygen cylinders, essential supplies, etc

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verb

1. (intr) to travel about or go hiking with a backpack

2. (tr) to transport (food or equipment) by backpack

Other Word Forms

• backpacker noun
• backpacking noun

Etymology

Origin of backpack

An Americanism dating back to 1910–15; back ¹ + pack ¹

Example Sentences

Documents can be saved and later downloaded from a “digital backpack.”

From The Wall Street Journal

To solve this problem, Tesla hired human data collectors to wear cameras and backpacks, and walk around collecting training data.

From The Wall Street Journal

She was referring to the emergency backpack Mexico's National Disaster Prevention Center encourages residents to prepare to "help survive the first hours of disaster".

From BBC

In September he greeted his uncle who had been deported without any possessions to provide him with a backpack of essentials, courtesy of a grassroots mutual aid project, the Ba Lô Project.

From Salon

These campgrounds are considered “moderate” because they either do not offer water but still offer car camping or they require a short backpacking trip.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• knapsack