carpetbag

[ kahr-pit-bag ]

/ ˈkɑr pɪtˌbæg /

Save This Word!

noun

a bag for traveling, especially one made of carpeting.

verb (used without object), car·pet·bagged, car·pet·bag·ging.

to journey with little luggage.

to act as a carpetbagger.

QUIZ

ARE YOU A TRUE BLUE CHAMPION OF THESE "BLUE" SYNONYMS?

We could talk until we're blue in the face about this quiz on words for the color "blue," but we think you should take the quiz and find out if you're a whiz at these colorful terms.

Question 1 of 8

Which of the following words describes “sky blue”?

navy

beryl

azure

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Meet Grammar Coach

Write or paste your essay, email, or story into Grammar Coach and get grammar help

Improve Your Writing

Meet Grammar CoachImprove Your Writing

Origin of carpetbag

First recorded in 1820–30; carpet + bag

Words nearby carpetbag

carpenterworm, carpenterworm moth, Carpentier, carpentry, carpet, carpetbag, carpetbagger, carpetbaggers, carpet beetle, carpet-bomb, carpet bombing

How to use carpetbag in a sentence

In one hand he carried an ancient carpetbag, which he deposited on the floor, while he stared around at the grandeur of the place.
The Strength of Gideon and Other Stories|Paul Laurence Dunbar
Her own nightdress had been left in the time-worn carpetbag that Uncle David had forgotten to take out of the “handsome cab.”
Turn About Eleanor|Ethel M. Kelley
She wants the doll that David left in that carpetbag of hers he forgot to take out of the ‘Handsome cab.’
Turn About Eleanor|Ethel M. Kelley
I could fit myself out in the city, and take the articles along with me in an extra valise or carpetbag.
Making His Way|Horatio Alger, Jr.

He carried in his hand a carpetbag lent him by Mr. Leavitt, which contained his small stock of under-clothing.
Bound to Rise|Horatio Alger

British Dictionary definitions for carpetbag

carpetbag

/ (ˈkɑːpɪtˌbæɡ) /

noun

a travelling bag originally made of carpeting

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