bag
noun
a container or receptacle of leather, plastic, cloth, paper, etc., capable of being closed at the mouth; pouch.
bag
1 American
[bag]
/ bæg /
noun
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bags
plural
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a container or receptacle of leather, plastic, cloth, paper, etc., capable of being closed at the mouth; pouch.
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something resembling or suggesting such a receptacle.
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a suitcase or other portable container for carrying articles, as in traveling.
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the amount or quantity a bag can hold.
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any of various measures of capacity.
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a sac, as in an animal body.
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an udder.
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Slang. a small glassine or cellophane envelope containing a narcotic drug or a mixture of narcotics.
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something hanging in a loose, pouchlike manner, as skin or cloth; a baggy part.
He had bags under his eyes from lack of sleep.
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Baseball. base.
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Hunting. the amount of game taken, especially by one hunter in one hunting trip or over a specified period.
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Slang.
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a person's avocation, hobby, major interest, or obsession.
Jazz isn't my bag.
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a person's mood or frame of mind.
The boss is in a mean bag today.
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an environment, condition, or situation.
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bags,
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Informal. plenty; much; many (usually followed byof ).
bags of time; bags of money.
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Slang. trousers.
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verb (used without object)
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bags,
present (3rd person singular)
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bagged,
past participle, past
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bagging
present participle
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to swell or bulge.
A stiff breeze made the sails bag out.
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to hang loosely like an empty bag.
His socks bagged at the ankles.
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to pack groceries or other items into a bag.
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Slang. to criticize, disparage, or dismiss a person or thing (usually followed byon ).
Stop bagging on me!
verb (used with object)
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bags,
present (3rd person singular)
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bagged,
past participle, past
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bagging
present participle
-
to cause to swell or bulge; distend.
The wind bagged the curtain.
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to put into a bag.
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Informal. to kill or catch, as in hunting.
I bagged my first deer when I was a teenager.
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Slang. to quit, abandon, or skip (often used in the phrasebag it ): We'd better bag the deal.
I bagged my math class today.
We'd better bag the deal.
I was working too hard so I decided to bag it.
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Slang. to criticize, disparage, or dismiss.
Don’t bag my vegan diet—I feel great since I started it.
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Theater. clew.
interjection
idioms
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bag of tricks, a supply of expedient resources; stratagems.
Maybe they will finally be honest with us, once they've run through their bag of tricks.
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bag and baggage,
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with all one's personal property.
When they went to collect the rent, they found he had left, bag and baggage.
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completely; totally.
The equipment had disappeared, bag and baggage, without even the slightest trace.
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in the bag, virtually certain; assured; definite: The sale of the house is in the bag.
Her promotion is in the bag.
The sale of the house is in the bag.
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old bag, an unattractive, often slatternly woman.
a gossipy old bag.
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leave holding the bag / sack, to force to bear the entire blame, responsibility, or loss that was to have been shared.
His accomplices flew to South America and he was left holding the bag.
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bag of bones, an emaciated person or animal.
B.Ag.
2
American
abbreviation
bag
British
/ bæɡ /
noun
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a flexible container with an opening at one end
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Also called: bagful. the contents of or amount contained in such a container
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any of various measures of quantity, such as a bag containing 1 hundredweight of coal
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a piece of portable luggage
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short for handbag
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anything that hangs loosely, sags, or is shaped like a bag, such as a loose fold of skin under the eyes or the bulging part of a sail
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any pouch or sac forming part of the body of an animal, esp the udder of a cow
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hunting the quantity of quarry taken in a single hunting trip or by a single hunter
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derogatory an ugly or bad-tempered woman (often in the phrase old bag )
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slang a measure of marijuana, heroin, etc, in folded paper
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slang a person's particular taste, field of skill, interest, activity, etc
blues is his bag
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informal
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with all one's belongings
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entirely
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a lean creature
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slang almost assured of succeeding or being obtained
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informal every device; everything
verb
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(tr) to put into a bag
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to bulge or cause to bulge; swell
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(tr) to capture or kill, as in hunting
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(tr) to catch, seize, or steal
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(intr) to hang loosely; sag
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(tr) to achieve or accomplish
she bagged seven birdies
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informal (tr) to reserve or secure the right to do or to have something
he bagged the best chair
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slang (tr) to criticize; disparage
bag
More Idioms
Regionalisms
Although bag and sack are both used everywhere throughout the U.S., the more commonly used word in the North Midland U.S. is bag and in the South Midland is sack.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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bagsimple
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bagssimple
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have baggedperfect
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has baggedperfect
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am baggingprogressive
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are baggingprogressive
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is baggingprogressive
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have been baggingperfect progressive
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has been baggingperfect progressive
Past
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baggedsimple
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had baggedperfect
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was baggingprogressive
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were baggingprogressive
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had been baggingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of bag
First recorded in 1200–50; 1920–25 bag for def. 31; Middle English bagge, from Old Norse baggi “pack, bundle, bag”
Explanation
A bag is a lightweight, flexible container meant for carrying things. A grocery bag is one you bring home from the supermarket full of food. In some places the word sack is more common, but the handled container you get at the store when you buy something is usually called a bag. You can also refer to a suitcase, handbag, or purse as a bag. When the word is used as a verb, it can mean "to put in a bag," but also "to catch something." Figuratively, you can "be left holding the bag," which means to be swindled or cheated.
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.
See Examples For:
The biggest change has been seen in the way black bag waste is treated.
From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2026
Once, a family-sized frozen lasagna was replaced with an enormous bag of frozen pasta and meatballs.
From Salon ● Oct. 25, 2026
On the whole, falling birthrates could be a mixed bag for corporate America.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 22, 2026
Equities sank in Asia Thursday as tech firms resumed their downward spiral following a mixed bag of earnings from Wall Street titans, while sentiment was also soured by another spike in oil prices.
From Barron's ● Oct. 22, 2026
Ignoring me, Sela sat next to Auntie, a curtain of dark hair glowing red around the edges briefly blocking her face as she set her canvas bag on the ground.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Roberts said she had originally visited the library after seeing a poster advertising an activity where children could decorate their own bags.
From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2026
One Reddit user, who had been ordering groceries while caring for a partner with a concussion, described receiving three bags of parsley after three separate attempts to purchase cilantro.
From Salon ● Oct. 25, 2026
The five-term senator said the categories of products receiving exemptions include corrugated paper cartons, plastic boxes, plastic bags, refrigeration and freezing equipment, packing and wrapping machinery, and seaweed and algae products.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 23, 2026
Video footage of the store’s opening showed customers waiting in a line snaking through the shopping plaza to enter the store, with shoppers trying samples and purchasing tote bags and snacks.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
Another pile of garbage bags sits in front of the sink, doing nothing to hide the yellowed linoleum flooring that’s cracked and peeling where it meets the worn brown carpeting of the living room.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
Still, Hargitay just wrapped up a one-woman show on Broadway and recently bagged two Emmys for her documentary “My Mom Jayne” all while still working on “Law and Order.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026
Then I round the corner toward the bagged vegetables and point my phone at a package of Earthbound Farm broccoli florets.
From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026
Binface bagged just 95 votes to Burnham's 24,927.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
It’s safe to eat lettuce and bagged salad greens again now that cyclospora cases are declining — at least in Michigan.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 7, 2026
By the time everything was bagged and in Annie’s hand, Luke was running out the door.
From "We'll Fly Away" by Bryan Bliss
Michu was the epitome of an on-screen cult hero, going from relative unknown to bagging 190 points, his price rising by £2m throughout the year.
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026
Will you have to worry about shoveling snow in the winter or bagging up an acre’s worth of leaves in the fall?
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 3, 2026
Deutch is perfect casting for plucky Gail, who commits to bagging Hamm with such gumption that she jumps on a hotel mattress like a little kid.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
While Mr. Fryer was bagging produce as a teenager at Albertsons, I was slinging barbecue sandwiches over a steam table at our local drive-in to help cover my upcoming college expenses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
I turned up at the busiest hour in the afternoon, when I knew they’d be understaffed, and sure enough, the manager was bagging groceries when I found him.
From "Educated" by Tara Westover
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
