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)

backpacks, present (3rd person singular) backpacked, past participle, past backpacking present participle

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

   We went backpacking in the Adirondacks.

verb (used with object)

backpacks, present (3rd person singular) backpacked, past participle, past backpacking present participle

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

Derived Forms

• backpacking
  noun
• backpacker
  noun

Conjugated Forms

Present

• has backpacked
  perfect 3rd person singular
• have backpacked
  perfect
• are backpacking
  progressive
• is backpacking
  progressive 3rd person singular
• am backpacking
  progressive 1st person singular
• backpacks
  singular 3rd person
• has been backpacking
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular
• have been backpacking
  perfect progressive
• backpacking
  participle

Past

• had backpacked
  perfect
• had been backpacking
  perfect progressive
• backpacked
  participle
• was backpacking
  progressive singular
• backpacked
  simple
• were backpacking
  progressive plural

Future

• will backpack
  simple
• will have backpacked
  perfect
• will be backpacking
  progressive
• will have been backpacking
  perfect progressive

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.

Example Sentences

"He sat down for a rest with his backpack, these guys carry huge loads," he said.

From Barron's • Jun. 4, 2026

Fifpro - the global representative organisation for professional footballers - said the players were filmed on Vlachovsky's camera hidden in a backpack, and the youngest was aged 17.

From BBC • May 19, 2026

Judge Gregory Carro in Manhattan state court wrote that the initial search of the backpack at a McDonald’s in Pennsylvania didn’t meet the legal requirements for conducting a search without a warrant.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 18, 2026

A New York judge will allow a gun and writings found in Luigi Mangione's backpack after his 2024 arrest to be presented at his state murder trial, but has ruled that other items are inadmissible.

From BBC • May 18, 2026

When I put my backpack on the back of a chair, no one complained.

From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows

Related Words

• knapsack