knapsack

noun

knap·​sack ˈnap-ˌsak 

plural knapsacks

: a bag (as of canvas or nylon) strapped on the back and used for carrying supplies or personal belongings : backpack sense 1a(2)

But the 12-year-olds were dumping landslides of books into knapsacks and getting ready to leave, and all I could do was follow them out through the turnstiles and into the start of another summer.

—Meg Wolitzer

He had a Polaroid camera around his neck and a knapsack on his back.

—Brian Selznick

knapsacked

ˈnap-ˌsakt 

adjective

Synonyms

• backpack

Examples of knapsack in a Sentence

grabbed my knapsack from the hook and ran to catch my ride

Recent Examples on the Web

This year, the venue is enforcing an oversized bag policy by which those even with a mere knapsack may not get in. —Antonia Blyth, Deadline, 7 Sep. 2025

The video is a surrealist work of art, with Adams discovering bullets behind a picture frame, a crack pipe hidden in a knapsack, and a full-on gun inside of a throw pillow. —Tyler Foggatt, New Yorker, 11 Aug. 2025

In the end, though, their scores on the knapsack test were no better than the placebo group. —Paul Tough Eric Jason Martin Krish Seenivasan Brian St. Pierre, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2025

Todd has since amassed dozens of Pop Mart toys—many of whom accompany her on her overseas travels in a large brown knapsack—and nearly 250,000 followers who watch her unbox her toys and visit stores in search of limited editions. —Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 26 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Low German knappsack or Dutch knapzak, from Low German & Dutch knappen to make a snapping noise, eat + Low German sack or Dutch zak sack

First Known Use

1599, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for knapsack

• aback
• anzac
• attack
• backpack
• backtrack
• bareback
• blackjack
• brownback
• buyback
• callback
• cognac
• comeback

Kids Definition

knapsack

noun

knap·​sack ˈnap-ˌsak 

: a carrying case or pouch slung from the shoulders over the back