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handbag

American  
[hand-bag] / ˈhændˌbæg /

noun

  1. a bag or box of leather, fabric, plastic, or the like, held in the hand or carried by means of a handle or strap, commonly used for holding money, personal grooming items, small purchases, etc.

  2. valise.

handbag British  
/ ˈhændˌbæɡ /

noun

  1. Also called: bag.   purse.   pocketbook.  a woman's small bag carried to contain personal articles

  2. a small suitcase that can be carried by hand

  3. a commercial style of House music

"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 handbag

First recorded in 1860–65; hand + bag

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.

Hermès doesn’t care if your AI agent found a cheaper handbag.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 19, 2026

The company in 2021 made the decision to funnel its marketing efforts into women in the market for their first luxury handbag as they turn into adulthood.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 25, 2026

She loves her jewelry, she loves her big giant handbag.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 19, 2026

Yoon's reputation was further hit in 2023 when his wife was secretly filmed accepting a designer handbag worth $2,000 as a gift.

From Barron's • Feb. 19, 2026

Jule shifted her handbag so it went across her body and wouldn’t easily come off.

From "Genuine Fraud" by E. Lockhart

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.