knapsack

[ nap-sak ]

See synonyms for knapsack on Thesaurus.com

noun

a canvas, nylon, or leather bag for clothes, food, and other supplies, carried on the back by soldiers, hikers, etc.

Origin of knapsack

1595–1605; <Low German knappsack, equivalent to knapp a bite (of food) + sacksack¹; compare dialectal English knap to snap up, eat greedily

Other words from knapsack

knapsacked, adjective

Words Nearby knapsack

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use knapsack in a sentence

Ranger Mara came prepared with her hulking knapsack filled with rocks and charts and marched into the middle of the loosely assembled crowd.
Meet the Rangers of New York City’s Parks | klindsey | July 30, 2021 | Outside Online
It’s small enough to fit easily in a knapsack or pocket, and the durable rubber outside edge guards it against banging around too much.
The best external hard drives: Expand your file storage | Eric Alt | January 22, 2021 | Popular-Science
So I marched off, got on the bus, barely able to manage my bulging knapsack, to return books and check out new ones.
Five Scientists on the Heroes Who Changed Their Lives - Issue 93: Forerunners | Alan Lightman, Hope Jahren, Robert Sapolsky, | December 2, 2020 | Nautilus
When he arrived, carrying nothing but a knapsack, he retrieved his Lampoon credit card from his wallet and broke it in two.
Doug Kenney: The Odd Comic Genius Behind ‘Animal House’ and National Lampoon | Robert Sam Anson | March 1, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
A knapsack was filled with food and given Woot the Wanderer to carry upon his back, for the food was for his use alone.
The Tin Woodman of Oz | L. Frank Baum

"I'm looking for a man named Halyard," I said, dropping rifle and knapsack on the fresh-cut, fragrant pile of pine.
In Search of the Unknown | Robert W. Chambers
Magnificent, she said, easing her shoulder of the strap of her knapsack while her eyes followed the driving rain cloud.
The Romance of His Life | Mary Cholmondeley
The stranger looked at it now and then, and at last rose and put out her hand for her knapsack.
The Romance of His Life | Mary Cholmondeley
Just before daybreak he slipped out with a knapsack, taking the road towards Meran.
Villa Rubein and Other Stories | John Galsworthy

British Dictionary definitions for knapsack

knapsack

/ (ˈnæpˌsæk) /

noun

a canvas or leather bag carried strapped on the back or shoulder

Origin of knapsack

C17: from Low German knappsack, probably from knappen to bite, snap + sack bag; related to Dutch knapzak; see sack 1

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

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