baggage
Americannoun
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trunks, suitcases, etc., used in traveling; luggage.
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the portable equipment of an army.
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things that encumber one's freedom, progress, development, or adaptability; impediments.
intellectual baggage that keeps one from thinking clearly; neurotic conflicts that arise from struggling with too much emotional baggage.
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Archaic.
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a worthless woman.
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a prostitute or disreputable woman.
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Often Disparaging. a pert, playful young woman or girl.
a pretty baggage; a saucy baggage.
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noun
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suitcases, bags, etc, packed for a journey; luggage
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( as modifier )
baggage car
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an army's portable equipment
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informal
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a pert young woman
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an immoral woman or prostitute
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informal a cantankerous old woman
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informal previous knowledge and experience that a person may use or be influenced by in new circumstances
cultural baggage
Etymology
Origin of baggage
1400–50; late Middle English bagage < Middle French, equivalent to Old French bag ( ues ) bundles, packs (perhaps < Old Norse; bag ) + -age -age
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Two of the most often rumored candidates to succeed Khamenei come with baggage.
Does Mr. Paxton’s baggage—my deliberately foggy term—bother his fans?
Amid pressure from activist investors, Southwest announced sweeping changes a couple of years ago, including the end of its hallmark policies of open seating and no fees for checked baggage.
From MarketWatch
AI-native software start-ups, unburdened by the baggage of years of design decisions, can leapfrog incumbents with new ways of doing things.
From Barron's
Few England captains have toured with such oversized baggage.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
