Baggage Definition: Synonyms, Collocations, and Exercises

The “baggage” description perfectly suits the scenarios that happen at airports and train stations when you want to refer to your possessions in general.

Because you define “baggage” as all the possessions you have with you when traveling, there are many other words you can use instead of this word, whether talking about one item or a group.

Related nouns: backpack carry-on belongings

Synonyms (contextual): luggage bags suitcases cases

Common collocations: carry baggage check baggage weigh baggage

You can find many adjectives, nouns, and verbs that collocate with “baggage”, helping specify its size, the actions you can do with it, and the procedures you need to follow when traveling.

With adjectives: heavy baggage light baggage lost baggage oversized baggage

With verbs: transport baggage lose baggage lift baggage get baggage

With nouns (noun + noun): baggage check baggage weigh baggage limit

Mainly, in idiomatic senses, this word is used to describe something heavy you carry with you, physical or metaphorical:

• Emotional baggage refers to someone’s challenging experience.

  With such big emotional baggage, it wasn’t easy for Rose from Titanic to start a new life.

• Excess baggage is used to tell about a situation where you took more suitcases than were needed or allowed.

  Ryanair’s leadership is thinking of giving bonuses to its employees when they spot excess baggage. — BBC News

• Bag and baggage mean all of your personal belongings.

  After all you’ve done, be at my office tomorrow, bag and baggage. You won’t stay here!

Now that you are able to tell the meaning of baggage and know a variety of phrases with it, check your understanding with our engaging activities.

When knowing how to say “baggage” in English, why not check its pronunciation and spelling rules in other popular European languages?

What does the EU want to change about baggage? What happens with the baggage that is not claimed? How many bags are lost each year? The answers to these questions and one extra fact you’ll find out right now:

• The European Union wants to introduce universal baggage rules for all

  When visiting another country, you may encounter unexpected charges, as each airline has its own rules regarding the size and weight of baggage. The EU aims to make one standard for all airlines.

• You can buy lost baggage at auctions

  According to The Guardian, you can buy unclaimed baggage. It can cost around $100 or more. The sum varies because people bid on it, and the person who can pay more wins.

• Out of 1,000 travelers, 7 or 8 may lose their baggage

  Almost two million people lose their baggage every year, and it is referred to as the permanent loss of belongings. However, the overall number of people doesn’t surpass even one percent of those who travel.

• The baggage Harry Potter could take with him to Hogwarts was specific

  He could take a wooden trunk (not a suitcase) with personal possessions, an animal, a magic wand, and a cauldron. It’s interesting whether magicians would be allowed to take laptops and smartphones in the modern era.

For celebrities and authors, “baggage” is the perfect word that allows them to describe their past experiences.

— Sarah Morgan, “Miracle on the 5th Avenue”

Explanation: With this line, the author advises readers not to carry many memories and regrets with them, taking only the most important ones, because if your baggage is too heavy, you will always feel tense.

— Demi Lovato

Explanation: In this short and thoughtful way, the singer and the actress told people that life can be tough, and that it sometimes affects relationships with people.

— Carlos Santana

Explanation: Sometimes illusions hide the reality from us, but the guitarist Carlos Santana thinks that everyone should drop this baggage to understand what surrounds them.