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backpack

backpack

204 1.0
A bag with shoulder straps that you wear on your back to carry your things
  • noun
  • /ˈbækˌpæk/
translation icon : mochila
  • I packed my backpack with books and a water bottle for the hike.
  • carry a backpack
  • wear a backpack
  • school backpack

That's what I keep in my backpack every day.

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Examples

  • After a moment, he picks up his backpack and heads for the front door.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • The student should be able to take the backpack home for the evening.

    Academic text (2015)
  • We got our little backpack to go.

  • But wait, I have to wear a backpack now.

  • So in the side of the backpack, you can pull out a power cable.

  • Each child in the classroom took home a backpack for one week.

    Academic text (2013)
  • That's what I keep in my backpack every day.

  • So I got this little backpack from Michael Kors.

  • Drew pulls his boom box out of his backpack and starts searching for a suitable tape.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • Grab your backpacks and your gear.

Synonyms

knapsack
vsbackpack
26 2.7

A bag with straps you carry on your back to hold personal things

is meant to be worn on the back using two shoulder straps
book bag
vsbackpack
12 1.1

A bag students use to carry books and other school things

is the broader two strap bag for many everyday items
rucksack
vsbackpack
  • UK
8 2.7

A bag with shoulder straps you carry on your back

is the ordinary two strap bag for carrying general belongings
daypack
vsbackpack
2 3.4

A small backpack for carrying a few items on short trips or daily outings

is the common larger two strap bag for any belongings
haversack
vsbackpack
2 8.4

A small strong bag with one shoulder strap used to carry food or personal things

is the two strap bag worn on the back rather than on one shoulder
bookbag
vsbackpack
  • US
1 1.1

A bag students use to carry books and school supplies

focuses on general carrying rather than school specific use
schoolbag
vsbackpack
1 1.0

A bag for carrying books and school things

is the general-purpose back-worn bag for any personal belongings
packsack
vsbackpack
4.4

A bag with shoulder straps that you wear on your back to hold things

is similar but is the common everyday two strap back bag

Compounds

A small vacuum cleaner that straps onto your back for cleaning large spaces

3.7

A small machine for cleaning floors that you wear on your back with straps

How Spacious

backpack
204 1.0
daypack
2 3.4
sling
5 3.0
pouch
72 2.1

Surface Forms

backpack singular
backpacks plural

Morphology

backpack = back + pack (transparent) = back + pack

Direct compound of 'back' + 'pack' meaning a pack carried on the back; the relation is immediately clear to learners.

Etymology

The word backpack joins back ('the part of your body behind your shoulders') and pack ('a bundle or bag you carry'), so it is a pack you wear on your back.