beanbag
Americannoun
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a small cloth bag filled with dried beans, as for tossing in various children's games.
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any such game.
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any similar bag used as a cushion or support, as the base for an ashtray, etc.
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Also called beanbag chair. a large, soft, frameless chair resembling a beanbag, typically a clothlike plastic shell, filled with plastic chips, that molds itself readily to the contours of the occupant.
noun
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a small cloth bag filled with dried beans and thrown in games
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Also called: sag bag. a very large cushion loosely filled with foam rubber or polystyrene granules so that it moulds into a comfortable shape: used as an informal low seat
Etymology
Origin of beanbag
Explanation
A beanbag is a bag filled with dried beans that's used for recreation or relaxation. A big beanbag is large enough to sit on while you watch TV. Smaller beanbags are used in games like "beanbag toss," or for learning to juggle, while large ones can be used as lightweight, portable furniture. Most beanbags are made from cloth or plastic, and filled with actual beans or small plastic beads. The word beanbag, or bean-bag, has been around since the late 1800s, though the beanbag chair wasn't invented until 1969.
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.
Each baby lay comfortably on a soft beanbag while wearing sound-cancelling headphones and viewing bright, colorful images designed to hold their attention for 15-20 minutes.
From Science Daily • Feb. 5, 2026
Roughley told the trial that the beanbag was regularly used for babies when the six cots in the room were full.
From BBC • May 20, 2024
Considered the original beanbag, the Sacco chair is the rare design object to become an instant classic in both rec rooms and museum collections.
From New York Times • Mar. 28, 2024
His movie became the forerunner of “Silicon Valley,” which captured the tech industry’s evolution away from cubicle austerity into open floor plans, beanbag furniture and the idea of work becoming a second home.
From Salon • Mar. 1, 2024
Bat felt like looking through his animal encyclopedia, which he often did after school, so he pulled it down from the bookshelf and dropped comfortably onto his beanbag.
From "A Boy Called Bat" by Elana K. Arnold
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
