handbag
HAND-bag
Handbag (noun) means a small bag, usually carried by women, used to hold personal items such as a wallet, keys, and makeup. Example: “She rummaged through her handbag looking for her phone.”
noun
1
A small bag, usually carried by women, used to hold personal items such as a wallet, keys, and makeup.
"An enormous amount of off-book money sloshes around Chinese business and officialdom, and some of it runs into handbags."
— James Palmer, ‘Kept women’ (2013)
"She rummaged through her handbag looking for her phone."
"In London, of all places, where people are always on the lookout for opportunities to commit crimes: an unzipped handbag, a phone sticking out of a back pocket, an unpadlocked bike."
— Jess Ryder, The Night Away (2020)
verb
1
(British, informal) To criticize or attack someone verbally, often used of a woman doing the criticizing.
"The columnist handbagged the minister over his policy U-turn."
"‘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.’"
— Nicholas Jones, Soundbites and Spin Doctors (1995)
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Word forms
- Third person singular
- handbags
- Past tense
- handbagged
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
She rummaged through her _____ looking for her phone.
Etymology
A straightforward compound of hand and bag. The verb sense is a playful reference to former UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, famous for her handbag and her sharp tongue.
Synonyms
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Rhymes for handbag
See all rhymes for handbag →Frequently asked questions
What does “handbag” mean?
The word “handbag” means a small bag, usually carried by women, used to hold personal items such as a wallet, keys, and makeup.
How do you pronounce “handbag”?
“Handbag” is pronounced HAND-bag (/ˈhændˌbæɡ/ in IPA).
How do you use “handbag” in a sentence?
Here is “handbag” used in a sentence: “She rummaged through her handbag looking for her phone.”
What part of speech is “handbag”?
Depending on how it is used, “handbag” can be a noun and a verb.
Is “handbag” a common word?
“Handbag” is an uncommon word in modern English, usually learned at around the A2 level.
How many meanings does “handbag” have?
“Handbag” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a small bag, usually carried by women, used to hold personal items such as a wallet, keys, and makeup.
