baggage

American  

[bag-ij] / ˈbæg ɪdʒ /

noun

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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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

The DOT fined United in 2019 for providing inaccurate information to passengers about how much they are owed in delayed, lost or damaged baggage.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026

The unpleasant part of that trade-off is already happening here; most major U.S. airlines moved in April to increase baggage fees as the price of oil was beginning to exert itself on fares.

From Slate • May 12, 2026

Since last year, it has added baggage fees and ended a half-century of open seating, charging more for extra legroom and preferred locations.

From Barron's • May 8, 2026

“All the people who are celebrating this ‘win for child safety’ might actually be inviting a set of payloads or baggage that they’re not prepared for,” Goldman said.

From Salon • Apr. 16, 2026

They followed the signs directing them toward baggage claim.

From "Shooting Kabul" by N. H. Senzai

Related Words

• equipment
• gear
• luggage
• paraphernalia