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briefcase

American  
[breef-keys] / ˈbrifˌkeɪs /

noun

  1. a flat, rectangular case with a handle, often of leather, for carrying books, papers, etc.

briefcase British  
/ ˈbriːfˌkeɪs /

noun

  1. a flat portable case, often of leather, for carrying papers, books, etc

"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

Etymology

Origin of briefcase

1925–30; brief (noun) + case 2

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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.

He says he remembers one of the men was holding a briefcase.

From BBC • Apr. 11, 2026

That usually happened when they got unlucky and a high-value briefcase was revealed early.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 9, 2026

He carried a script he was writing in a slim briefcase, which he’d shuttle back and forth from the brand-new Starbucks down the street.

From Salon • Nov. 23, 2025

What MI5 found in the briefcase is not included, although Burgess's passport is on show.

From BBC • Apr. 1, 2025

Unfortunately, that warning isn’t the scariest part of what was inside the briefcase.

From "Amari and the Night Brothers" by B.B. Alston

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.