bag

1 of 3

noun

ˈbag 

 also  ˈbāg

1

: a usually flexible container that may be closed for holding, storing, or carrying something: such as

a

: purse

especially : handbag

b

: a bag for game

c

: suitcase

2

: something resembling a bag: such as

a(1)

: a pouched or pendulous bodily part or organ

especially : udder

(2)

: a puffy or sagging protuberance of flabby skin

b

: a puffed-out sag or bulge in cloth

c

: a square white stuffed canvas bag used to mark a base in baseball

3

: the amount contained in a bag

4

a

: a quantity of game taken

also : the maximum legal quantity of game

b

: an assortment or collection especially of nonmaterial things

a bag of tricks

5

: an unattractive woman

6

: something one likes or does regularly or well

also : one's characteristic way of doing things

bag

2 of 3

verb

bagged; bagging

intransitive verb

1

: to swell out : bulge

2

: to hang loosely

transitive verb

1

: to cause to swell

2

: to put into a bag

3

a

: to take (animals) as game

b

: to get possession of especially by strategy or stealth

c

: capture, seize

d

: to shoot down : destroy

4

: to achieve in or as if in competition : win

bag a playoff berth

5

informal

a

: to give up, forgo, or abandon especially for something more desirable or attainable

decided to bag her job and move to the country

—often used with it

I headed all the way across campus in the sleet for my 12:40, and after twenty minutes I just wanted to bag it and crawl back into bed.

—Kate Haracz

b

: to dismiss (someone) from a job or position : fire, sack

Tiger's been losing his temper and his putting stroke. He shed his agent, and he bagged his caddy …

—Robert Sullivan

6

medical : to ventilate the lungs of (a patient) using a hand-squeezed bag attached to a face mask

I asked the respiratory therapist to continue bagging and assisting the patient while I sought the family's permission not to proceed with intubation.

—Malinda H. Bell

bagger noun

plural baggers

BAg

3 of 3

abbreviation

bachelor of agriculture

Phrases

in the bag

1

: sure, certain

her nomination was in the bag

also : assured of a successful conclusion : sewn up

have the game in the bag

2

slang : drunk sense 1a

Synonyms

Noun

• poke [chiefly Southern & Midland]
• pouch
• sack

Verb

• balloon
• beetle
• belly
• billow
• bulge
• bunch
• jut
• overhang
• poke
• pooch [chiefly dialect]
• pouch
• pout
• project
• protrude
• stand out
• start
• stick out
• swell

Choose the Right Synonym for bag

catch, capture, trap, snare, entrap, ensnare, bag mean to come to possess or control by or as if by seizing.

catch implies the seizing of something in motion or in flight or in hiding.

caught the dog as it ran by

capture suggests taking by overcoming resistance or difficulty.

capture an enemy stronghold

trap, snare, entrap, ensnare imply seizing by some device that holds the one caught at the mercy of the captor.

trap and snare apply more commonly to physical seizing.

trap animals

snared butterflies with a net

entrap and ensnare more often are figurative.

entrapped the witness with a trick question

a sting operation that ensnared burglars

bag implies shooting down a fleeing or distant prey.

bagged a brace of pheasants

Examples of bag in a Sentence

Noun

She packed her lunch in a paper bag.

She put the pencil in her bag.

a tired old man with bags under his eyes

Verb

He got a job bagging groceries.

The hunters bagged five deer altogether.

We bagged 10 fish today.

She's expected to bag the award for the team's most valuable player.

I bagged the last seat so everyone else had to stand.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Korda and her peers lug golf bags and suitcases through commercial travel and rental car shuttles for weeks at a time before big competitions. —Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 23 Apr. 2024

The girl’s body was found inside a plastic bag, wrapped in a towel. —Christine Pelisek, Peoplemag, 22 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English bagge, from Old Norse baggi

Verb

Middle English baggen, verbal derivative of bagge bag entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Phrases Containing bag

• a bag/bundle of nerves
• air bag
• bag and baggage
• bag lady
• bag lunch
• bag of bones
• bag of waters
• barf bag
• barracks bag
• Bermuda bag
• body bag
• book bag
• bugout bag
• carrier bag
• clutch bag
• d-bag
• dilly bag
• ditty bag
• doggie bag
• doggy bag
• douche bag
• duffel bag
• flight bag
• garment bag
• go bag
• goody bag
• grab bag
• grocery bag
• heavy bag
• hobo bag
• hold the bag
• ice bag
• in the bag
• Jiffy bag
• kit bag
• let the cat out of the bag
• messenger bag
• mixed bag
• mojo bag
• nose bag
• overnight bag
• punch bag
• punching bag
• shopping bag
• shoulder bag
• sleeping bag
• tea bag
• toilet bag
• tote bag
• travel bag
• traveling bag
• tucker-bag
• water bag
• weekend bag

Kids Definition

bag

1 of 2 noun

ˈbag 

1

a

: a container made of flexible material (as paper or plastic)

b

: purse entry 1 sense 1, handbag

c

: suitcase

2

a

: a pouched or hanging bodily part or organ (as an udder)

also : a puffy sagging area of loose skin

bags under the eyes

b

: a puffed-out sag or bulge in cloth

c

: a square white stuffed canvas container that marks a base in baseball

3

: the amount contained in a bag

4

: a quantity of game taken or permitted to be taken

bag

2 of 2 verb

bagged; bagging

1

: to swell out

pants bag at the knees

2

: to put into a bag

bagging groceries

3

: to kill or capture in hunting

the hunter bagged a deer

Medical Definition

bag

1 of 2 noun

ˈbag

1

: a pouched or pendulous bodily part or organ

especially : udder

2

: a puffy or sagging protuberance of flabby skin

an aging face with bags below the eyes

bag

2 of 2 transitive verb

bagged; bagging

: to ventilate the lungs of (a patient) using a hand-squeezed bag attached to a face mask

I asked the respiratory therapist to continue bagging and assisting the patient while I sought the family's permission not to proceed with intubation.

—Malinda H. Bell, The Journal of the American Medical Association