I. bag 1 S1 W2 /bæɡ/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Date: 1200-1300 ; Language: Old Norse ; Origin: baggi ]
1 . CONTAINER
a) a container made of paper, cloth, or thin plastic, that usually opens at the top:
a paper bag
a plastic bag
a garbage bag
b) a ↑ handbag :
Don’t leave your bag in the car.
c) a large bag that you use to carry your clothes etc when you are travelling:
Just throw your bags in the back of the car.
a garment bag
2 . AMOUNT the amount that a bag will hold
bag of
a bag of popcorn
3 . old/stupid bag spoken an insulting word for an old woman:
You silly old bag!
4 . A LOT OF SOMETHING bags of something especially British English spoken a lot of something SYN plenty :
She’s got bags of money.
No need to rush – we’ve got bags of time.
5 . pack your bags informal to leave a place where you have been living, usually after an argument:
We told her to pack her bags at once.
6 . EYES bags [plural] dark circles or loose skin under your eyes, usually because of old age or being tired
7 . a bag of bones informal a person or animal who is too thin
8 . in the bag informal certain to be won or achieved:
The governor’s advisors believe the election is in the bag.
9 . TROUSERS bags [plural] British English old-fashioned loose-fitting trousers:
Oxford bags
10 . not sb’s bag old-fashioned informal something that someone is not very interested in or not very good at:
Thanks, but dancing is not really my bag.
11 . bag and baggage British English with all your possessions:
They threw her out of the house, bag and baggage.
12 . HUNTING [usually singular] British English the number of birds or animals that someone kills when they go hunting:
We had a good bag that day.
⇨ ↑ sleeping bag , ↑ airbag , ↑ duffel bag , ↑ tote bag , ↑ beanbag , ↑ punchbag , ↑ sandbag 1 , ↑ teabag , ⇨ let the cat out of the bag at ↑ cat (2), ⇨ be left holding the bag at ↑ hold 1 (26), ⇨ a mixed bag at ↑ mixed (6)
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ types
▪ a plastic/polythene/paper bag
Store the beans in a paper bag in the fridge.
▪ a carrier bag (=for carrying shopping, usually made of plastic)
The supermarket no longer gives free carrier bags.
▪ a shopping bag
She loaded her shopping bags into the back of the car.
▪ a school bag
Hey, don't forget your school bag!
▪ a sports bag
I noticed that the man was wearing trainers and carrying a sports bag.
▪ a shoulder bag (=one that is carried over your shoulder)
Big shoulder bags are fashionable this year.
▪ a leather/canvas bag
She was carrying a smart leather bag.
▪ a clutch bag (=a small woman's bag that you hold in one hand)
For the evening all you need is a little clutch bag.
▪ an evening bag (=a small bag that a woman takes out with her in the evening)
She put her lipstick in a black velvet evening bag.
▪ a beach bag (=to take to the beach)
I bought a big striped beach bag.
▪ an overnight bag (=a small suitcase or bag for a short stay somewhere)
All you need to take is an overnight bag.
▪ a travel bag (=a suitcase or bag taken with you when you travel)
Your travel bag must not weigh more than 20 kilos.
▪ a sponge/toilet bag (=for carrying your soap, toothpaste, shampoo etc)
I left my sponge bag in the hotel bathroom.
▪ a bin/dustbin bag British English
Use the black bin bags provided by the council.
■ verbs
▪ a bag contains something
Lisa was carrying the bag containing the beach towels.
▪ a bag holds something
I don't think that bag will hold all those books..
▪ open/close a bag
The customs officer opened my bag.
▪ empty a bag
I've emptied my bags and I still can't find it.
▪ pack a bag (=put things in it preparing to go somewhere)
Mum packed a bag for a day at the beach.
▪ unpack a bag
She unpacked her bags and put her clothes away.
II. bag 2 BrE AmE verb ( past tense and past participle bagged , present participle bagging ) [transitive]
1 . to put things into bags:
He got a job bagging groceries.
2 . informal to manage to get something that a lot of people want:
Try to bag a couple of seats at the front.
3 . British English informal to score a ↑ goal or a point in sport:
Larsson bagged his thirtieth goal of the season in Celtic’s win.
4 . especially British English informal to kill or catch an animal or bird:
We bagged a rabbit.
5 . be bagged and zip-tied if prisoners are bagged and zip-tied, bags are put over their heads and their hands are tied together
bag something ↔ up phrasal verb especially British English
to put things into bags:
We bagged up the money before we closed the shop.