carpetbagger

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noun car·pet·bag·ger \ -ˌba-gər \

Definition of carpetbagger

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

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

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carpetbaggery

play \-ˌba-g(ə-)rē\ noun

See carpetbagger defined for English-language learners

See carpetbagger defined for kids

Recent Examples of carpetbagger from the Web

Support the elimination of a school's unlimited and unwarranted power to block a transfer from select destinations, and you'll be labeled everything from a snowflake to a Yankee carpetbagger.

— kevin scarbinsky, AL.com, "Why do so many college football fans side with the program over the players?," 9 July 2017
Hermit crabs tip over their carpetbagger homes to conceal themselves beneath calcified armor.

— clark fair, Alaska Dispatch News, "Colorful kaleidoscope of marine life in Homer tidepools," 8 July 2017
Southern carpetbaggers: Gov. Rick Scott is currently in New York City for a fundraiser and a slew of media appearances.

— dan sweeney, Sun-Sentinel.com, "The Civil War Battle of Hollywood," 22 June 2017
A relentless barrage of attacks ads sought to define Democratic candidate Jon Ossoff, 30, as an inexperienced and liberal carpetbagger who would be a puppet of Nancy Pelosi.

— james hohmann, Washington Post, "The Daily 202: Most Republicans in the Georgia special election are willing to give Trumpcare a chance," 20 June 2017
Some were involved in the plotting that led to what has become known as the Battle of Liberty Place, the White League's Sept. 14,1874, attack on policemen in an attempt to end Reconstruction and drive out carpetbaggers and black officeholders.

— NOLA.com, "When Degas painted New Orleans," 7 June 2017
Quist, a native Montanan, has also cast Gianforte as a carpetbagger from New Jersey who wants to buy the state's lone House seat.

— beth fouhy, NBC News, "Bernie Sanders Heads to Montana for High-Profile House Race," 20 May 2017
Yet country radio programmers treated her more like a carpetbagger than a forerunner.

— jon pareles, New York Times, "Sheryl Crow Checks the Mirror, and Plays What She Sees," 31 Mar. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'carpetbagger.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of carpetbagger

from their carrying all their belongings in carpetbags

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1867

See Words from the same year

Other History Terms

agonistic, enceinte, fief, historiography, paladin

CARPETBAGGER Defined for English Language Learners

carpetbagger

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noun

Definition of carpetbagger for English Language Learners

: a person from the northern United States who went to the South after the American Civil War to make money
: a political candidate who runs for office in a place where he or she has lived only for a short time