baggage

1 of 2

noun (1)

bag·​gage ˈba-gij 

1

: suitcases, trunks, and personal belongings of travelers : luggage

2

: transportable equipment especially of a military force

3

: intangible things (such as feelings, circumstances, or beliefs) that get in the way

emotional baggage

baggage

2 of 2

noun (2)

1

dated : a contemptible or disreputable woman

"I can buy her off. If she took money from him—the mercenary, painted baggage!—why, then, she'll take it from me."

—Edward Bulwer-Lytton

2

dated : a young woman

Examples of baggage in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

For this reason, these types of batteries are required to be carried in carry-on baggage only. —Colson Thayer, People.com, 11 Aug. 2025

Five years later, there’s an entire generation of Gen Z consumers that wasn’t really paying attention last time around and doesn’t carry millennials’ 2010s startup baggage. —Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 6 Aug. 2025

Your right to a refund is outlined in the Montreal Convention, an international treaty that established rules and limits regarding airline liability for baggage. —Christopher Elliott The Travel Troubleshooter, Sun Sentinel, 4 Aug. 2025

The project unified the check-in and baggage facilities that had been spread out before, requiring travelers to know in which terminal their flight was departing. —Ramsey Qubein, Forbes.com, 3 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English bagage, from Middle French, from bagues belongings, baggage

Noun (2)

probably modification of Middle French bagasse, from Old Occitan bagassa

First Known Use

Noun (1)

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1594, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing baggage

• bag and baggage
• baggage claim
• hand baggage

Kids Definition

baggage

noun

bag·​gage

ˈbag-ij

: the traveling bags and personal belongings of a traveler : luggage