# baggage

/ˈbæɡədʒ/ (US) · /bˈæɡɪdʒ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/baggage
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. suitcases for travel

noun · CEFR B1

the bags, suitcases, and personal things you take with you when you travel.

For teachers: portable containers such as suitcases and bags used for carrying personal belongings during travel. Uncountable in this sense.

- The airline lost my baggage, so I had to buy new clothes for the wedding.
- Passengers are advised to remain with their baggage at all times while navigating the terminal to avoid security interventions.

Usage: Always used as an uncountable noun; do not pluralise as 'baggages'.

### 2. emotional past

noun · CEFR B2 · Informal

the bad experiences or feelings from your past that affect your current life or relationships.

For teachers: metaphorical psychological burdens or past experiences that impede a person's current emotional functioning or interpersonal relationships.

- We all have some emotional baggage from our previous relationships.
- He entered the new partnership carrying significant professional baggage, which made him hesitant to trust his colleagues' creative decisions.

Teaching tip: Often used in the phrase 'emotional baggage' to describe someone's complicated history.

### 3. military equipment

noun · CEFR C2 · Formal · Technical

the equipment and supplies that an army carries with it.

For teachers: the portable equipment, supplies, and support machinery of an army. Often refers to the 'baggage train' in a historical context.

- The army's progress was slow because of the heavy baggage they had to move.
- The general ordered the baggage to be left behind to ensure the infantry could reach the mountain pass before the enemy's arrival.

### 4. an impudent woman

noun · CEFR C2 · Archaic · Literary

an old, rude word for a woman who is seen as annoying or bold.

For teachers: a derogatory term for a woman, particularly one perceived as saucy or impudent. This sense is largely obsolete in modern speech.

- In the old play, the character calls the servant a 'saucy baggage' for talking back.
- The protagonist's aunt dismissed the young girl as a mere baggage, showing little respect for her social standing.

Teaching tip: This sense is archaic and may be found in 18th or 19th-century literature; it is not used in modern conversation.

## Examples

- The airline lost all my baggage on the flight to Rome.
- She was hesitant to start a new relationship because she was still carrying a lot of emotional baggage from her divorce.
- While the physical baggage was easily stowed in the overhead compartment, the psychological baggage of returning to his hometown after twenty years proved far more difficult to manage.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.