carpetbagger

noun

car·​pet·​bag·​ger ˈkär-pət-ˌba-gər 

plural carpetbaggers

1

disapproving : a Northerner in the South after the American Civil War usually seeking private gain under the Reconstruction governments

2

disapproving : outsider

especially : a nonresident or new resident who seeks private gain from an area often by meddling in its business or politics

carpetbaggery

ˈkär-pət-ˌba-g(ə-)rē 

noun

Examples of carpetbagger in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Rivals have dubbed him a carpetbagger and a globalist, the kind that conservative parties have railed against over the past decade. —Sara Miller Llana, Christian Science Monitor, 2 Apr. 2025

That brought attacks from Democrats who attempted to paint him as a carpetbagger who was parachuting into the state to win a Senate seat after spending years in California. —Al Weaver, The Hill, 6 Nov. 2024

The native New Yorker back in his hometown against a quintessential carpetbagger making yet another stop on the coaching trail. —Jimmy Golen, Chicago Tribune, 22 Mar. 2025

Other recipients of the carpetbagger label have met defeat, though, like former Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown in 2014 (New Hampshire) or Mehmet Oz in 2022 (New Jersey homeowner lost in Pennsylvania). —Geoffrey Skelley, ABC News, 5 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

from their carrying all their belongings in carpetbags

First Known Use

1867, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for carpetbagger

• agger
• bagger
• dagger
• stagger
• swagger

Kids Definition

carpetbagger

noun

car·​pet·​bag·​ger ˈkär-pət-ˌbag-ər 

: a Northerner in the South after the American Civil War usually seeking private gain under the reconstruction governments