suitcase
Americannoun
-
suitcases
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of suitcase
Compare meaning
How does suitcase compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
A suitcase is a piece of luggage that usually has a handle. If you're going on a week-long vacation, you should probably pack a suitcase to bring with you. Don't forget your toothbrush! If your suitcase is large enough, you'll have to check it when you fly on an airplane — you can carry only small suitcases into the cabin of the plane. These days most suitcases have wheels so you can roll them along behind you as you walk through a bus station or down the sidewalk. The earliest suitcases were sewn from wool, linen, or leather, often covering a wooden frame. Today, most suitcases are made of nylon or lightweight metal.
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.
See Examples For:
It seems unlikely that the coiffed and polished Harp would freely choose to forgo a real suitcase in order to carry an oversized sack like a disorganized college kid.
From Salon ● Sep. 16, 2026
Those garments and the tailor’s suitcase have gone missing, though it’s unclear why the assailant might have wanted them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
Debris remains scattered across the water, including a black wheelie suitcase bobbing on the surface and a sheet of steel that appeared to have broken away from the ferry.
From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026
A single suitcase lay open on the floor when AFP visited Ren's temporary residence in Beihai.
From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026
Mama was carrying her suitcase in one hand and Daisy’s old crutch in the other.
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
He said cockroaches were also found in places including restaurants and parts of the transport industry, and could be transported in suitcases and bags.
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026
Tourists hauled their suitcases over the doorstep into the fray, fresh off a flight or rushing to make one, if only they could get one last chicken finger first.
From Slate ● Aug. 24, 2026
"We had already packed suitcases just in case, but they gave us only two minutes and carefully checked that nobody was still inside the house," she said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
The royals packed their suitcases, bade farewell to the palace staff, and climbed into an armored Mercedes that drove them to a nearby rail station.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026
We mostly lived out of our suitcases because the dressers were tiny.
From "Courage to Soar" by Simone Biles
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.
