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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.

Whitehouse added: "Bye bye Ted old friend. He wasn't a dog; he was a species all of his own. He's gone to the great briefcase emporium in the sky. We will really miss you mate."

From BBC • Apr. 30, 2026

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

From BBC • Apr. 11, 2026

He said he always had an entrepreneurial flair, selling bubblegum and popcorn from his Samsonite briefcase at Jamaica High School.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 18, 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

Mr. Ware reaches behind him and pulls a briefcase out of thin air.

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.