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

The decrease in elasticity can also enable fat beneath the eyes to puff forward, accentuating eye bags. —Genevieve Monsma, Vogue, 11 Apr. 2024

Miu Miu canvas and leather bucket bag, $2,050 (Miu Miu) Miu Miu is one of the buzziest brands in fashion right now, and for spring and summer, the Prada Group label has delivered bags that are perfect for a jaunt to Malibu, Newport Beach or Manhattan Beach. —Marques Harper, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024

As someone who does extensive research and some of her own testing when making PEOPLE’s product recommendations, Alyssa has explored the best underseat luggage, toiletry bags, and various other travel essentials to better your busy life. —Alyssa Brascia, Peoplemag, 11 Apr. 2024

San Jose State's first hit came on a bizarre hop in the dirt off the bat of Hardy near the first base bag in the third inning. —Tom Murphy, arkansasonline.com, 11 Apr. 2024

According to an Instagram post from UC's Office of Trademarks and Licensing, a College of Arts and Sciences graduate designed the bags, featuring graphics of UC's campus and Nippert Stadium. —Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 10 Apr. 2024

Lots of ladies sported brand new summer whites for the first time this season — and summer blacks and whites, with that proof-of-L.A. summer: alabaster Chanel bags. —Merle Ginsberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Apr. 2024

An Hermès expert says the coveted bags are worth more than gold. —Francisco Velasquez, Quartz, 29 Mar. 2024

Among the brand’s many viral hits: the Tommy bag, which comes in a variety of quirky-cool motifs. —Perrie Samotin, Glamour, 29 Mar. 2024

Verb

Beyoncé bagged the chart double last week, though she’s set to lose both crowns. —Lars Brandle, Billboard, 9 Apr. 2024

Clear bags no larger than 12 inches wide, such as a gallon-sized plastic bag, and clutch purses no larger than 4.5 by 6.5 inches are allowed. —The Arizona Republic, 8 Apr. 2024

Jennifer Aniston is giving compact crossbody bags her sartorial stamp of approval. —Averi Baudler, Peoplemag, 7 Apr. 2024

What began with cellophane in the 1930s picked up speed with the rise of plastic clamshells in the 1980s and bagged salads in the 1990s. —Kim Severson, New York Times, 2 Apr. 2024

Lionel Messi has joined in on Inter Miami’s scoring fun vs. rivals Orlando City, bagging a second-half brace to give Inter Miami the biggest lead in the history of the Florida rivalry. —Franco Panizo, Miami Herald, 2 Mar. 2024

Multiple conveyor belts carry beans from multiple co-ops for cleaning, grading and yet more bagging together. —Mumbi Gitau, Fortune Europe, 27 Feb. 2024

This gets its name from the manner in which store windows and glass counters are smashed, with items locked inside transparent displays often quickly grabbed, bagged and then quickly sold online. —Thomas Elias, The Mercury News, 5 Mar. 2024

The ice already bagged and for sale didn’t have the name, address and manufacturer. —David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 29 Feb. 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

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