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Glite Dictionary
shoulder bag

shoulder bag

5 1.3
A bag with a long strap that you wear on one shoulder
  • noun
  • /ˈʃoʊldər bæg/
translation icon : bolso de hombro
  • Protruding from Caroline's shoulder bag was the slender microphone of a tape recorder.
  • leather shoulder bag
  • heavy shoulder bag
  • large shoulder bag

Just popping on my little Coach shoulder bag and also my Gucci slingbacks.

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Examples

  • Dodgson pulls an ordinary can of shaving cream from a shoulder bag he carries and sets it on the table.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • She slung her shoulder bag over her arm and headed out for the day.

  • I need to look at your shoulder bag.

    The 51st State (2001)

  • Target is wearing a red shirt and shoulder bag.

    12 Rounds (2009)

  • The blonde took the money and dropped it into her shoulder bag, then walked away from her.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • Nice little shoulder bag and of course some lovely ankle boots.

  • Ahimsa reached around for his shoulder bag to give the man a few dollars.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • Opening her shoulder bag, she pulled out the journal article that Cyrill had given her.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • I gave a sigh of resignation and stuffed the folder into my shoulder bag.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • Don't you see so many of them are hanging around your tent, with shoulder bags full of oranges?

    Fiction book (1992)

Synonyms

handbag
vsshoulder bag
89 1.0

A small bag women carry to hold keys, phone, and money

is larger and designed to hang from the shoulder with a long strap
satchel
vsshoulder bag
28 2.5

A small bag with a strap that you wear over your shoulder to carry books or personal things

is larger and meant to hang from the shoulder with a long strap
sling
vsshoulder bag
5 3.0

A small bag with one strap worn across the body to carry personal items

is carried hanging from the shoulder rather than across the body
haversack
vsshoulder bag
2 8.4

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

is meant for personal items and hangs from the shoulder with a long strap
carryall
vsshoulder bag
1 4.4

A large bag for carrying many things like towels and snacks

is carried hanging from the shoulder using a long supportive strap

How Big

duffel
38 4.4
tote bag
12 1.8
shoulder bag
5 1.3
handbag
89 1.0
clutch
11 5.3

Surface Forms

shoulder bag singular
shoulder bags plural

Morphology

shoulder + bag

The meaning 'a bag carried on the shoulder' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'shoulder' (the body part) with 'bag' (a portable container); the location/modifier + noun compounding follows a regular English pattern. This construction is cross-linguistically common and predictable, so a B1 learner who knows both constituent words can infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Shoulder bag comes from a simple image: a bag with a long strap that rests on the shoulder. Picture the strap over one shoulder and the bag hanging at your side, which is why it means 'a large handbag carried on the shoulder'.