Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A woman's purse.
- noun A piece of small hand luggage.
from The Century Dictionary.
- A bag for small articles, carried in the hand in traveling or shopping.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun a small bag usually made of cloth, leather or a similar imitation material, and often having a strap to permit carrying it by slinging it over a shoulder, used by women to carry money and small personal items or accessories.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun A small bag used by women (or sometimes by men) for carrying various small personal items.
- noun uncountable An
anthemic subgenre ofhouse music of the late 1980s, often with booming vocals. - verb UK (
transitive , humorous) Figuratively, to hit with a handbag; to attack verbally or subject to criticism (used originally of Margaret Thatcher).
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a container used for carrying money and small personal items or accessories (especially by women)
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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Jenny, on the term handbag versus purse or bag, you might be interested in this.
Special Bonus Post for the Carnival of Shopping - A Dress A Day 2006
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Why are my novels in alphabetical order, when my handbag is a disaster zone?
My Bookshelves Sharon Bakar 2006
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Though a trendy handbag is a fun choice for, say, an evening out, an everyday bag that meets your everyday needs is a wardrobe must.
Think Progress » Virginians Buck Far-Right Policies Of McDonnell And Cuccinelli 2010
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Though a trendy handbag is a fun choice for, say, an evening out, an everyday bag that meets your everyday needs is a wardrobe must.
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Though a trendy handbag is a fun choice for, say, an evening out, an everyday bag that meets your everyday needs is a wardrobe must.
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Before opening her eyes she feels to make sure her handbag is still buttoned safely within her overcoat.
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Though a trendy handbag is a fun choice for, say, an evening out, an everyday bag that meets your everyday needs is a wardrobe must.
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Though a trendy handbag is a fun choice for, say, an evening out, an everyday bag that meets your everyday needs is a wardrobe must.
Think Progress » Obama bumper sticker fuels violent political road rage in Tennessee. 2010
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Though a trendy handbag is a fun choice for, say, an evening out, an everyday bag that meets your everyday needs is a wardrobe must.
Think Progress » Citing ‘irreversible damage,’ EPA nears veto of mountaintop removal permit. 2010
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The purse or handbag is much more than a holder for necessities.
colleen commented on the word handbag
see also brick
July 20, 2007