handbag
English · Thesaurus
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handbag
- /ˈhændˌbæɡ/ UK, US
- /ˈhæm.bəɡ/ UK, US
Where it comes from
From hand + bag. The music genre is named from women dancing around a pile of their handbags in nightclubs. The verb is a reference to Margaret Thatcher's handbag.
noun handbags
- A small bag carried in the hand, used either when travelling or to carry tools for a specific job. From a little hand-bag he extracted his automatic pistol, which he put upon the mantelpiece.
-
A small bag used chiefly by women for carrying various small personal items, sometimes considered as a fashion accessory.
Then came a maid with hand-bag and shawls, and after her a tall young lady. She stood for a moment holding her skirt above the grimy steps, with something of the stately pose which Richter has given his Queen Louise on the stairway, and the light of the reflector fell full upon her.
Similar: purse
- Ellipsis of handbag house
verb handbags · handbagging · handbagged
- To attack verbally or subject to criticism (typically used of a woman). ‘Apparently Birt happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time on Sunday afternoon. Virginia saw him and handbagged him. She really was very cross.’
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: purse, pocketbook, bag, pouch, sack, rucksack, tote, satchel, knapsack, pack, backpack, valise, suitcase, luggage, sleeve, sac
Translations
Every language
noun small bag carried in the hand
| Español | bolsa, bolso, bulto, cartera |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 핸드백 haendeubaek, 손가방 son'gabang, 가방 gabang |
| 日本語 | 手鞄 tekaban, 手提げ鞄 tesagekaban, ハンドバッグ handobaggu, 手提げバッグ tesagebaggu, 鞄 kaban |
| 中文 | 手提包 shǒutíbāo, 手袋 shǒudài |
| हिन्दी | हैंडबैग haiṇḍbaig |
| Português | bolsa, mala |
| Français | sac à main, sacoche |
| Deutsch | Handtasche |
| Italiano | borsetta |
| Ελληνικά | τσάντα tsánta |
| Română | geantă |
| Русский | су́мочка súmočka, ридикю́ль ridikjúlʹ, су́мка súmka, да́мская су́мочка dámskaja súmočka |
| Tiếng Việt | túi xách tay, bị cầm tay, túi xách |
| العربية | حَقِيبَةُ يَد ḥaqībatu yad, مَثْبَنَة maṯbana, شَنْطَة šanṭa |
| עברית | תִּיק יָד tik yad |
Talk about this word "handbag." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/handbag. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. handbag. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/handbag "handbag." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/handbag.Cite this
@misc{handbag_2026,
title = {handbag},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/handbag},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
