- [countable] (often in compounds) a container made of cloth, leather, plastic or paper, used to carry things in, especially when shopping or travelling
- He was carrying a heavy bag of groceries.
- It was wrapped in a brown paper bag.
- Put it in a black plastic garbage bag.
- a make-up bag
- a baby changing bag
- She tipped out the contents of her bag (= handbag).
Extra ExamplesTopics Shoppinga1, Clothes and Fashiona1- He shouldered his bag and left.
- He tossed his bag onto an empty seat.
- He was walking along swinging his school bag.
- I rummaged in my bag for a pen.
- She grabbed her bag and ran out of the door.
- She had a heavy bag swinging from each hand.
- She stepped down off the bus with her bag slung over her shoulder.
- The bag bulged with papers and letters.
- The camera caught her slipping a necklace and earrings into her bag.
- The mushrooms are sealed in a bag for freshness.
- Two youths snatched her bag as she was walking home.
- My passport was right at the bottom of my bag.
- They saw a cyclist with his laptop in a messenger bag slung across his chest.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- strong
- heavy
- empty
- …
- open
- unzip
- close
- …
- bulge (with something)
- contain something
- hold something
- …
- in a/the bag
- inside a/the bag
- bag of
- …
- the contents of a bag
- have your bags packed
- sling your bag over your shoulder
- …
- [countable] a bag or case that you take when you are travelling; a piece of luggage
- I packed my bags and left for the airport.
- He's upstairs unpacking his bags.
- Each passenger is allowed one carry-on bag.
- He was carrying a leather travelling bag.
- You can check bags of up to 23kg for free.
Extra Examples- I had to lug my bags up the stairs.
- I opened the trunk of the car to retrieve my bags.
- Airline regulations ban scissors in carry-on bags.
- She helped me load my bags into the car.
- The customs officer asked him to empty out the contents of his bag.
- They were gathering their bags, preparing to leave.
- We dropped our bags off at the hotel and went straight out.
- You need to have your bags packed and be ready to go by six.
- He was told to pack his bags and leave.
- I got my bag down from the rack.
- The porter will take your bags up to your room.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- strong
- heavy
- empty
- …
- open
- unzip
- close
- …
- bulge (with something)
- contain something
- hold something
- …
- in a/the bag
- inside a/the bag
- bag of
- …
- the contents of a bag
- have your bags packed
- sling your bag over your shoulder
- …
- [countable] bag (of something) the amount contained in a bag
- She ate a bag of chips.
- bags[uncountable, plural] bags (of something) (British English, informal) a large amount or a large number of something
- Get in! There's bags of room.
- bags[plural] dark circles or loose folds of skin under the eyes, as a result of getting old or lack of sleep
- [countable] (especially British English, informal) an offensive word for an older woman who you think is unpleasant or angry see also ratbag, scumbag, windbag
- [countable, usually singular] all the birds, animals, etc. shot or caught on one occasion
- We got a good bag today.
container
amount
under eyes
unpleasant woman
birds/animals
Word OriginMiddle English: perhaps from Old Norse baggi.
Idioms
See bag in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee bag in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English(not) somebody’s bag
- (informal) (not) something that you are interested in or good at
- Poetry isn't really my bag.
bag and baggage
- with all your possessions, especially secretly or suddenly
- He threw them out onto the street, bag and baggage.
a bag of bones
- (informal) a very thin person or animal
- The cat hadn’t been fed for weeks and was just a bag of bones.
a bag/box of tricks
- (informal) a set of methods or equipment that somebody can use
- Hotel managers are using a whole new bag of tricks to attract their guests.
be a bag/bundle of nerves
- (informal) to be very nervous
- By the time of the interview, I was a bundle of nerves.
be in the bag
- (informal) if something is in the bag, it is almost certain to be won or achievedTopics Doubt, guessing and certaintyc2
leave somebody holding the bag
- (North American English, informal) to suddenly make somebody responsible for something important, such as finishing a difficult job, that is really your responsibility
- You two were going to fly off and leave me holding the bag.
let the cat out of the bag
- to tell a secret carelessly or by mistake
- I wanted it to be a surprise, but my sister let the cat out of the bag.
pack your bags
- (informal) to leave a person or place permanently, especially after an argument
pull it/something out of the bag
- (informal) to succeed in doing something difficult by making an extra effort or doing something clever or surprising
- We managed to pull it out of the bag despite not being at our best for most of the game.
Check pronunciation:
bag