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handbag

American  
[hand-bag] / ˈhændˌbæg /

noun

  1. a bag or box of leather, fabric, plastic, or the like, held in the hand or carried by means of a handle or strap, commonly used for holding money, personal grooming items, small purchases, etc.

  2. valise.

handbag British  
/ ˈhændˌbæɡ /

noun

  1. Also called: bag.   purse.   pocketbook.  a woman's small bag carried to contain personal articles

  2. a small suitcase that can be carried by hand

  3. a commercial style of House music

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of handbag

First recorded in 1860–65; hand + bag

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Hermès doesn’t care if your AI agent found a cheaper handbag.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 19, 2026

I used the built-in handle to tote it around like a handbag.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 5, 2026

She loves her jewelry, she loves her big giant handbag.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 19, 2026

He offered to go halves on a handbag for Lauren, despite having never met either woman, and even suggested a possible "wedding in Vegas".

From BBC • Feb. 12, 2026

A kind-looking woman who must have been watching us the whole time had snapped open her handbag and started riffling through it.

From "The Bridge Home" by Padma Venkatraman

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.