baggage

American  

[bag-ij] / ˈbæg ɪdʒ /

noun

• baggage
  plural

1. trunks, suitcases, etc., used in traveling; luggage.

2. the portable equipment of an army.

3. things that encumber one's freedom, progress, development, or adaptability; impediments.

   intellectual baggage that keeps one from thinking clearly; neurotic conflicts that arise from struggling with too much emotional baggage.

4. Archaic.

   1. a worthless woman.

   2. a prostitute or disreputable woman.

   3. Often Disparaging. a pert, playful young woman or girl.

      a pretty baggage; a saucy baggage.

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baggage British  

/ ˈbæɡɪdʒ /

noun

1. 1. suitcases, bags, etc, packed for a journey; luggage

   2. ( as modifier )

      baggage car

2. an army's portable equipment

3. informal

   1. a pert young woman

   2. an immoral woman or prostitute

4. informal a cantankerous old woman

5. informal previous knowledge and experience that a person may use or be influenced by in new circumstances

   cultural baggage

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• baggage
  plural

Etymology

Origin of baggage

1400–50; late Middle English bagage < Middle French, equivalent to Old French bag ( ues ) bundles, packs (perhaps < Old Norse; see bag) + -age -age

Explanation

Baggage is another word for the bags you put your stuff in when you travel. It’s also known as "luggage" or "suitcases." If someone says you have baggage but you’re not holding anything, they’re talking about emotional baggage. Baggage is the fancy suitcase you collect from an airport carousel or the duffel bag you get out of the trunk. It’s any travel bag you have your personal belongings in. Baggage can also refer to emotions from the past that get in the way of the present. In military terminology, baggage is any equipment that can be carried or hauled along. This is the original definition, from the Old French baggage, "military equipment," from bague, for "bag or bundle."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

baggage

They stuff planes with passengers and exact fees for heavy baggage and every inch of leg room and seat pitch.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026

"The baggage hall was the worst and they're very lucky that there wasn't any sort of incident as tempers frayed and the concourse was getting hotter."

From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026

And Lefkofsky carries some baggage from Groupon, which saw its multibillion-dollar valuation evaporate soon after its IPO.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026

The emotional baggage I carried far exceeded the weight limits of my carry-ons.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026

They trudged up the beach with their baggage looking for shelter but they found none.

From "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy

Related Words

• equipment
• gear
• luggage
• paraphernalia