bag

1 of 3

noun

ˈbag How to pronounce bag (audio)
 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
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
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
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
While this vacuum is corded, the 15-foot cord reaches an entire room easily, and the 0.71-quart cup empties with the push of a button—there’s no bag to deal with. Chaunie Brusie, Rn, Parents, 6 Mar. 2024 That’s not all, this genius bag also comes with an USB charging port and cushioned straps for practical and comfortable wear all-day long. Alexandra Domrongchai, Travel + Leisure, 6 Mar. 2024 One viral TikTok video posted by user Sinead Olivares, has garnered over 1.6 million views, and features the high demand for the bags. Antonia Debianchi, Peoplemag, 6 Mar. 2024 Then United Airlines raised prices (matching American’s rates), as did JetBlue, which raised its prices by $10 per bag to $35-$45 for the first bag and $50-$60 for the second. Chris Morris, Fortune, 6 Mar. 2024 Regé-Jean Page is pulling another role out of the bag. Aaron Couch, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Mar. 2024 Use a frosting bag kit to create the colorful rainbow design on top. 07 of 25 Mint Greek Frozen Yogurt View Recipe This healthy St. Patrick’s Day dessert will bring some chill to your holiday. Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Mar. 2024 Atencio, who was 17 at the time, helped two men load Brinson’s dismembered body into trash bags and then dump the remains in a remote part of eastern Arapahoe County. Shelly Bradbury, The Denver Post, 4 Mar. 2024 Finishing off the look were a pair of fingerless black gloves, a slick black bag and a black hat featuring a small veil. Stephen Daw, Billboard, 4 Mar. 2024
Verb
Selling out is always a risk with Lego, so don’t lose out on the opportunity to bag one of these new sets. Melissa Epifano, EW.com, 1 Mar. 2024 Despite her injury, Beckham’s sartorial flair was undimmed, with her security team carrying her black Hermès Kelly bag in the background. Alex Kessler, Vogue, 27 Feb. 2024 The ground cinnamon was then sold, bagged and sold again to a company called Austrofood, which blended it into applesauce and shipped pouches to the United States. Will Fitzgibbon, New York Times, 27 Feb. 2024 Book the signature Diocletian Bath Ritual (the hotel sits on the ruins of a fourth-century Roman bath) for baby-soft skin, then bag a chesterfield sofa at the rooftop bar, Seen, which serves cocktails and sushi in a clubby open-air space. Laura Itzkowitz, Travel + Leisure, 17 Feb. 2024 Kurt Warner famously bagged groceries before getting his chance to lead the St. Louis Rams to a Super Bowl championship two decades ago. Anna Lazarus Caplan, Peoplemag, 6 Feb. 2024 Others, like Baer, will ski to the max, bagging 17 runs across three mountain ranges, eating picnic lunches in the wild or perhaps making a pit stop for burgers at a roadhouse in the tiny frontier town of Talkeetna. Jen Murphy, Robb Report, 3 Feb. 2024 Odd jobs such as truck driving, bagging groceries, and beyond ensued for Howard as the band built the crux of their artistry. Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 31 Jan. 2024 Also available is the Table Wars competition each week where the winning player can bag up to $3,000 playing table games without requiring any wagering conditions! Sponsored Content, The Mercury News, 19 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bag.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of bag was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near bag

Cite this Entry

“Bag.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bag. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

bag

1 of 2 noun
1
a
: a container made of flexible material (as paper or plastic)
c
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

More from Merriam-Webster on bag

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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