handbag

[hand-bag]

noun

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 by women for holding money, toilet articles, small purchases, etc.
valise.

Origin of handbag

First recorded in 1860–65; hand + bag

Can be confusedbriefcase handbag pocketbook purse valise wallet

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for handbags

Contemporary Examples

Inspried by "Russian patriotism," Anna Chapman has recently debuted a collection of flowy print dresses and handbags.
Karl Lagerfeld Discusses Francois Hollande Affair; Diesel Ad Features Wheelchair Blogger as Model
The Fashion Beast Team
January 23, 2014
She introduced four styles of handbags when her company began, offering various combinations of color and leather.
Concealed Carry Handbags: An Evening Bag for Your Gun?
Erin Cunningham
October 15, 2013
"These clients usually already own a lot of jewelry and handbags," he added.
Lingerie for the 1 Percent
CNBC
August 6, 2013
The suit, which was filed on Thursday, claims that e-mail blasts sent by Costco on April 16th claimed to sell Kors handbags.
A.P.C. Releases Kanye West Collection; Max Azria Faces Insurmountable Debt
The Fashion Beast Team
July 15, 2013
Sales of the handbags have increased 30 percent from last year, Woolstenhulme told Fashionista.
Joseph Altuzarra Named U.S. Representative for International Woolmark Prize; L'Wren Scott Teams Up With Banana Republic
The Fashion Beast Team
July 10, 2013

Historical Examples

They almost dropped their handbags at the unexpectedness of the meeting.
Baseball Joe Around the World
Lester Chadwick
Miss Kathleen said she would go below to get the handbags from the stewardess.
The Celt and Saxon, Complete
George Meredith
There he found the handbags and suitcases, umbrellas and other equipment.
Excuse Me!
Rupert Hughes
All they would carry with them were handbags, containing some clothing.
Tom Swift in the City of Gold, or, Marvelous Adventures Underground
Victor Appleton
It was a brougham, and there was room in it only for themselves and their handbags.
Lord Loveland Discovers America
C. N. Williamson

British Dictionary definitions for handbags

handbags

pl n

facetious an incident in which people, esp sportsmen, fight or threaten to fight, but without real intent to inflict harm (esp in the phrases handbags at dawn, handbags at twenty paces, etc)

handbag

noun

Also called: bag, (US and Canadian) purse, (chiefly US) pocketbook a woman's small bag carried to contain personal articles
a small suitcase that can be carried by hand
a commercial style of House music

Word Origin

(for sense 3) C20: humorous allusion to the trend for groups of women to dance round their handbags in discos, nightclubs, 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

Word Origin and History for handbags

handbag

n.

also hand-bag, 1854, from hand (n.) + bag (n.).

handbag

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}handbag

Related Words

Examples from the Web for handbags

Contemporary Examples

Inspried by "Russian patriotism," Anna Chapman has recently debuted a collection of flowy print dresses and handbags.

She introduced four styles of handbags when her company began, offering various combinations of color and leather.

"These clients usually already own a lot of jewelry and handbags," he added.

The suit, which was filed on Thursday, claims that e-mail blasts sent by Costco on April 16th claimed to sell Kors handbags.

Sales of the handbags have increased 30 percent from last year, Woolstenhulme told Fashionista.

Historical Examples

They almost dropped their handbags at the unexpectedness of the meeting.

Miss Kathleen said she would go below to get the handbags from the stewardess.

There he found the handbags and suitcases, umbrellas and other equipment.

All they would carry with them were handbags, containing some clothing.

It was a brougham, and there was room in it only for themselves and their handbags.

handbags

handbag

Word Origin

Word Origin and History for handbags

handbag

n.

Origin of handbag