carpetbag

American  

[kahr-pit-bag] / ˈkɑr pɪtˌbæg /

noun

1. a bag for traveling, especially one made of carpeting.

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verb (used without object)

carpetbagged, carpetbagging

1. to journey with little luggage.

2. to act as a carpetbagger.

carpetbag British  

/ ˈkɑːpɪtˌbæɡ /

noun

1. a travelling bag originally made of carpeting

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Etymology

Origin of carpetbag

First recorded in 1820–30; carpet + bag

Example Sentences

Never fear: The Tolkien literary estate seems to have an enchanted carpetbag, with wonders that emerge long after it has seemingly been emptied.

From Washington Post • Nov. 21, 2022

Some distance away, beyond the shade of the awning, a low white, with what I guessed to be all his possessions in a carpetbag, smoked tobacco.

From The New Yorker • Jun. 3, 2019

Re-reading it now from the misty vantage point of middle age, I hardly recognise the solitary figure who shouldered a carpetbag for 4,185km.

From The Guardian • Jan. 6, 2019

So the new sequel, directed by Rob Marshall and starring Emily Blunt, carried a rather heavy carpetbag, you might say.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 12, 2018

She hoisted her carpetbag from one hand to the other and resumed walking.

From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood