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left holding the bag

Cultural

To have the blame or responsibility thrust upon you: “When his partner skipped town, Harry was left holding the 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.

Yasushi Mieno External link was left holding the bag when the 1980s bubble economy imploded.

From Barron's • Dec. 17, 2025

If a bubble does pop, we’ll all be left holding the bag.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 12, 2025

“Yet, somehow we’re left holding the bag when neighbors or constituents or stakeholders are upset about a project.”

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 23, 2025

Now he's gone, his family is safe and we are left holding the bag.

From Salon • Jan. 28, 2025

But maybe I'm going to be left holding the bag after all.

From The Boy Ranchers in Death Valley or Diamond X and the Poison Mystery by Baker, Willard F.

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023