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Synonyms

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.

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

"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

verb

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

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

"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

Other Word Forms

  • backpacker noun
  • backpacking noun

Etymology

Origin of backpack

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

Explanation

A backpack is a bag you wear on your back, with straps over your shoulders. Lots of kids carry their books to school in a backpack. A hiker might carry a heavy backpack for miles, with food and a folded tent inside, while a kindergartner's backpack will be much smaller, and may have a cartoon character on it. You can also call this portable kind of bag a rucksack. If you hike with a backpack, you go backpacking, and you can call yourself a backpacker. The word's been around since the earliest 20th century.

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The couple began by trying different harnesses and getting Roo used to it in the house before introducing a travel backpack Roo could use if she needed a safe space while out and about.

From BBC • Apr. 5, 2026

“The Grace Blackwell system is nearly two tons, and so you’re not going to be putting that in your pocket or your backpack anytime soon,” he said, referring to the chip maker’s latest-generation AI platform.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 21, 2026

The captain suggested possibly bringing hand tools or a backpack filled with water up the hill to extinguish any hot spots.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 11, 2026

Their purported evidence: snapshots discovered in Ms. Nichter’s backpack of her with Israeli friends in army garb.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 3, 2026

The keys were in his backpack where they’d always been.

From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova

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.