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

Airlines already trimmed flights from their summer schedules and raised baggage fees in response to higher fuel costs. — Chris Isidore, CNN Money, 17 Sep. 2026

The latter comes with a lot of legal baggage that Google probably doesn’t want to accommodate for a Labs experiment. — Ryan Whitwam, ArsTechnica, 17 Sep. 2026

Many airlines now integrate Air Tag data into their baggage tracking process, allowing travelers to share the device location with customer service representatives through their mobile apps. — Jessica Puckett, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Sep. 2026

To her, there’s no shame in airing out your baggage and confessing your feelings in a single song. — Jaeden Pinder, Rolling Stone, 14 Sep. 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