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

Citing the Cessna operator's log for the flight, the NTSB said in the report that baggage and cargo collectively weighed about 709 pounds, contributing to the small plane's overall takeoff weight of about 9,776 pounds. —CBS News, 20 Mar. 2025

On March 27, Venus retrograde slips back into Pisces — your 12th house of secrets, healing and unconscious patterns — stirring up some emotional baggage. —Valerie Mesa, People.com, 20 Mar. 2025

Governor Jared Polis is the first non-incumbent openly gay man elected to Congress, and the decidedly blue Colorado doesn’t carry Utah’s baggage of hostility given its current anti-LGBTQ legislation on the table. —Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 20 Mar. 2025

Add in thoughtful touches like daily breakfasts, two delightful dinners, baggage transfers, and even select gratuities handled for you, and the experience becomes effortlessly luxurious. —Jordi Lippe-McGraw, Forbes, 19 Mar. 2025

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 1

Noun (2)

1594, 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