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:
Scott Crean is living out of a suitcase.
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026
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
She’s packed her suitcase too, full of socks she’ll throw away by the end of tour, and a wardrobe almost entirely of black.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026
While that post-vacation glow typically fades once your suitcase is unpacked, the resilience sticks around.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
Ma holds my gaze for a beat before glancing at the empty hand-me-down suitcase.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
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
While Zee said you are usually allowed to fly with suitcases weighing up to 23kg, limiting the weight to 20kg helped to keep customs officers off the scent.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
Like sticky notes, rolling suitcases and the yellow first-down line in football, the solid white line on highways now sounds obvious.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 4, 2026
Lugging suitcases across the border after packing up in Pakistan, Afghans are returning home with their worldly possessions but often lack one key item to restart their lives: an identity card.
From Barron's ● Jul. 3, 2026
Errands, making dinner, and packing suitcases were only part of it.
From "Caterpillar Summer" by Gillian McDunn
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.
