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

This helps to spread out your packing to avoid excess baggage fees. — Alison Syrett Cleary, InStyle, 2 July 2026

The belly of almost every Delta Air Lines plane doesn’t just hold passenger baggage. — Emma Hurt, AJC.com, 30 June 2026

She was arrested after raising suspicions during a baggage screening, the Australian Federal Police said in a statement on its website. — ABC News, 29 June 2026

Gauff has had trouble playing assertively enough to close out matches, and arrives in southwest London with baggage about a lackluster history on grass. — Ava Wallace, New York Times, 27 June 2026

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 21

Noun (2)

1576, 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