bag

[ bag ]

/ bæg /

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See synonyms for bag on Thesaurus.com

noun

a container or receptacle of leather, plastic, cloth, paper, etc., capable of being closed at the mouth; pouch.

something resembling or suggesting such a receptacle.

a suitcase or other portable container for carrying articles, as in traveling.

a handbag or moneybag.

the amount or quantity a bag can hold.

any of various measures of capacity.

a sac, as in an animal body.

an udder.

Slang. a small glassine or cellophane envelope containing a narcotic drug or a mixture of narcotics.

something hanging in a loose, pouchlike manner, as skin or cloth; a baggy part: He had bags under his eyes from lack of sleep.

Baseball. base¹ (def. 9b).

Hunting. the amount of game taken, especially by one hunter in one hunting trip or over a specified period.

Slang.

a person's avocation, hobby, major interest, or obsession: Jazz isn't my bag.
a person's mood or frame of mind: The boss is in a mean bag today.
an environment, condition, or situation.

bags,

Informal. plenty; much; many (usually followed by of): bags of time; bags of money.
Slang. trousers (def. 1).

verb (used without object), bagged, bag·ging.

to swell or bulge: A stiff breeze made the sails bag out.

to hang loosely like an empty bag: His socks bagged at the ankles.

to pack groceries or other items into a bag.

Slang. to criticize, disparage, or dismiss a person or thing (usually followed by on): Stop bagging on me!

verb (used with object), bagged, bag·ging.

to cause to swell or bulge; distend: The wind bagged the curtain.

to put into a bag.

Informal. to kill or catch, as in hunting: I bagged my first deer when I was a teenager.

Slang. to quit, abandon, or skip (often used in the phrase bag it): I bagged my math class today.We'd better bag the deal.I was working too hard so I decided to bag it.

Slang. to criticize, disparage, or dismiss: Don’t bag my vegan diet—I feel great since I started it.

Theater. clew (def. 9a).

interjection

bags! British Slang. (used to lay first claim to something): Bags it! Bags, I go first!

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms about bag

bag and baggage,

with all one's personal property: When they went to collect the rent, they found he had left, bag and baggage.
completely; totally: The equipment had disappeared, bag and baggage, without even the slightest trace.

bag of bones, an emaciated person or animal.

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.

in the bag, Informal. virtually certain; assured; definite: Her promotion is in the bag. The sale of the house is in the bag.

leave holding the bag / sack, Informal. 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.

old bag, Slang. an unattractive, often slatternly woman: a gossipy old bag.

Origin of bag

First recorded in 1200–50; 1920–25 for def. 31; Middle English bagge, from Old Norse baggi “pack, bundle, bag”

regional variations of bag

1. 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 WORDS FROM bag

bag·like, adjectiveun·bagged, adjective

Words nearby bag

bafflegab, baffleplate, baffling, baffy, BAFTA, bag, Baganda, bag and baggage, bagasse, bagassosis, bagatelle

Other definitions for bag (2 of 2)

B.Ag.

abbreviation

Bachelor of Agriculture.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use bag in a sentence

With 20,000 people coming in and out of her Instagram Live, it’s clear the cat is now definitely out the bag.
The Best Streaming Shows Quarantine Has to Offer|Joshua Eferighe|August 14, 2020|Ozy
Staffers drop off their bags and coats at designated areas on each floor to avoid too many items on desks.
‘Safe-space’ signs and which direction to face: At 30% capacity, how News UK is returning to the office|Lucinda Southern|August 13, 2020|Digiday
Once you have your “why” in the bag, you need to figure out who your target audience is.
How to plan your social media strategy for any business|Sumeet Anand|June 24, 2020|Search Engine Watch
Once out of the bag, these innovations were difficult to “uninvent,” promoting diversity.
Evolution: Why It Seems to Have a Direction and What to Expect Next|Matthew Wills|June 10, 2020|Singularity Hub

The fact that something is safe for one type of use — such as a fabric softener sheet or a vacuum cleaner bag — doesn’t always mean it’s safe to breathe through.
Science offers recipes for homemade coronavirus masks|Kathiann Kowalski|May 14, 2020|Science News For Students
Antoine himself had recently been arrested on a six-year-old warrant for a dime bag of weed.
Ground Zero of the NYPD Slowdown|Batya Ungar-Sargon|January 1, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Elle magazine shot an editorial in September, one picture revealing a teacup pig sitting pretty by a mini Tyler Alexandra bag.
Handbags: The More You Pay, The Smaller They Shrink|Elizabeth Landers|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“Which proves he is as dumb as a bag of hammers,” the official says.
Protesters Slimed This Good Samaritan Cop|Michael Daly|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They were allowed to bring one bag per family, which most fill with food.
Inside the Smuggling Networks Flooding Europe with Refugees|Barbie Latza Nadeau|December 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He kept it in a brown paper bag stashed in the bathroom of his office.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Drone: the largest tube of a bag-pipe, giving forth a dull heavy tone.
Gulliver's Travels|Jonathan Swift
I shall only be away for six months; you know I have made up my mind to get rid of the whole bag of tricks.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
Thank you for nothing, Reginald; however, I shall certainly take a dip in the lucky-bag at the Castle.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
She stood looking at him as he danced around the bag, busily punching its rotund sides.
The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun;|Various
"I think she'll pay your mother back to-morrow," said Hugh, remembering the fatness of the pink bag.
Rosemary in Search of a Father|C. N. Williamson

British Dictionary definitions for bag

bag

/ (bæɡ) /

noun

a flexible container with an opening at one end

Also called: bagful the contents of or amount contained in such a container

any of various measures of quantity, such as a bag containing 1 hundredweight of coal

a piece of portable luggage

short for handbag

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

any pouch or sac forming part of the body of an animal, esp the udder of a cow

hunting the quantity of quarry taken in a single hunting trip or by a single hunter

derogatory, slang an ugly or bad-tempered woman (often in the phrase old bag)

slang a measure of marijuana, heroin, etc, in folded paper

slang a person's particular taste, field of skill, interest, activity, etcblues is his bag

bag and baggage informal

with all one's belongings
entirely

a bag of bones a lean creature

in the bag slang almost assured of succeeding or being obtained

the bag of tricks or the whole bag of tricks informal every device; everything

verb bags, bagging or bagged

(tr) to put into a bag

to bulge or cause to bulge; swell

(tr) to capture or kill, as in hunting

(tr) to catch, seize, or steal

(intr) to hang loosely; sag

(tr) to achieve or accomplishshe bagged seven birdies

(tr) British informal to reserve or secure the right to do or to have somethinghe bagged the best chair

(tr) Australian slang to criticize; disparage

Word Origin for bag

C13: probably from Old Norse baggi; related to Old French bague bundle, pack, Medieval Latin baga chest, sack, Flemish bagge

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 Idioms and Phrases with bag

bag

In addition to the idioms beginning with bag

bag and baggage
bag it
bag of tricks

also see:

brown bagger
grab bag
in the bag
leave holding the bag
let the cat out of the bag
mixed bag