backpack

backpack — noun

1. a strong cloth bag with two shoulder straps that you wear over both shoulders, o

1.nounA2
Definition

a strong cloth bag with two shoulder straps that you wear over both shoulders, often used by students for books and by hikers or campers for clothes, food, and gear.

Example

Mei stuffed her textbooks and lunchbox into her pink backpack before school.

stuff [items] into a backpack

The hikers carried tents and sleeping bags in heavy backpacks up Mount Fuji.

carry [gear] in a backpack

Common collocations
  • pack a backpack
  • shoulder a backpack
  • school backpack
  • hiking backpack
Synonyms
  • rucksack

    older British term, mostly for hiking or military bags

  • knapsack

    slightly old-fashioned American term for a small back-carried bag

  • daypack

    smaller backpack made for one-day hikes or commuting

Grammar Patterns

a backpack of [things]

in/into a backpack

Usage Note

Subject of carrying verbs is typically a person; the contents are usually personal items, school supplies, or outdoor gear. In American English, often used for school bags; in British English, 'rucksack' is the older equivalent for hiking bags.

Common Mistakes

I put the books on my backpack.
I put the books in my backpack.
items go inside, so use 'in', not 'on'.
She wore a backpack in her shoulder.
She wore a backpack on her shoulders.
straps rest on the shoulders, not in them.

backpack — verb

Word family

  • backpacker
    nounB1
  • backpacking
    nounB1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words name a bag carried on the body, but they differ in shape, register, and typical use. 'Backpack' is the everyday modern word, equally common for school children and adult hikers, and is the default in American English. 'Rucksack' sounds older and more British; you hear it most often for sturdy hiking or military bags, as in 'an army rucksack'. 'Knapsack' is now slightly old-fashioned in American English and suggests a small, simple bag, like the one a hiker might use for a single afternoon. 'Satchel', by contrast, has only one shoulder strap and a flap closure, often made of leather, and is usually carried at the side rather than across the back. So a Taipei student might say 'I left my backpack at home', while a 1950s English schoolboy would have left his satchel.

backpack ↗rucksack ↗knapsacksatchel

Common collocations

Nouns

  • backpack straps
  • backpack pocket
  • school backpack
  • hiking backpack
  • backpack zipper

Adverbs

  • heavily (loaded)
  • fully (packed)

Phrases

  • pack a backpack
  • carry a backpack
  • shoulder a backpack
  • go backpacking

Prepositions

  • in a backpack
  • on someone's back
  • into a backpack
  • out of a backpack

Etymology

Old EnglishAmerican English

'Backpack' is a straightforward American compound of 'back' (the part of the body) plus 'pack' (a bundle of things bound together for carrying). It first appeared in print in the United States in the 1910s, replacing older terms like 'knapsack' and the British 'rucksack' as outdoor recreation grew in popularity. The verb senses developed later in the twentieth century, first for wilderness hiking and then, by the 1970s, for the budget travel style associated with young international travelers.