carpetbag

Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word carpetbag. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word carpetbag, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say carpetbag in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word carpetbag you have here. The definition of the word carpetbag will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition ofcarpetbag, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
See also: carpet-bag

English

a carpetbag

Alternative forms

Etymology

carpet +‎ bag

Noun

carpetbag (plural carpetbags)

  1. A traveling bag made from scraps of carpet and widely used in the United States (and elsewhere) in the 19th century.

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

carpetbag (third-person singular simple present carpetbags, present participle carpetbagging, simple past and past participle carpetbagged)

  1. (chiefly US) To come to a place or organisation with which one has no previous connection with the sole or primary aim of personal gain, especially political or financial gain.
    • 2018 February 23, Jason Horowitz, “Italy’s ‘Five Star’ Grows Up Into a Real Party, Scandals and All”, in New York Times:
      The Five Star Movement has long railed against carpetbagging, but for all of Ms. D’Alessandro’s efforts to seem of the place — talking about her childhood in Naples and showing the bar where she had her first date — she clearly isn’t.

Derived terms

Adjective

carpetbag (not comparable)

  1. (chiefly US) Having the characteristics of carpetbaggers.
    carpetbag travels

Further reading