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mailbag

American  
[meyl-bag] / ˈmeɪlˌbæg /

noun

  1. a large bag used by mail carriers for carrying mail, usually equipped with a shoulder strap.

  2. a large bag or pouch used in transporting mail in bulk from general post offices to branch offices, from city to city, etc.

mailbag British  
/ ˈmeɪlˌbæɡ /

noun

  1. a large bag used for transporting or delivering mail

"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 mailbag

First recorded in 1805–15; mail 1 + 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.

Your letter may be published anonymously in the weekly “Dear Charlie” reader mailbag.

From MarketWatch • Oct. 25, 2025

Editor’s note: Columnist Charlie Garcia shares select emails from his virtual mailbag every Friday.

From MarketWatch • Oct. 11, 2025

If you notice, it’s no longer being called the Twitter mailbag because, well, it’s no longer called Twitter, it’s called X.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 13, 2024

To show my appreciation, I’m going to sift through the January mailbag and take the person who sends me the best idea to dinner.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 3, 2024

He took an electronic signature pad horn his mailbag arid handed it to me.

From "The Sea of Monsters" by Rick Riordan

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.