suitcase

suitcase — noun

1. a hard-sided bag with a handle that you use to carry your clothes and other pers

1.nounA2
Definition

a hard-sided bag with a handle that you use to carry your clothes and other personal things when you go on a trip

Example

Eric packed his suitcase the night before the flight.

Ife carried her suitcase up the stairs to the train platform.

Common collocations
  • pack a suitcase
  • unpack a suitcase
  • live out of a suitcase
  • carry a suitcase
Synonyms
  • bag

    a more general term for any soft or hard container used to carry things

  • luggage

    uncountable noun that refers to suitcases and bags in general, not a single item you can count

Common Mistakes

I packed my luggage in a suitcase.
I packed my suitcase.
luggage refers to all bags collectively; a suitcase is just one type of luggage, so using both together is redundant.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Bag is the most general word for any container made of soft material that you use to carry things. A suitcase is a specific type of bag — rectangular, often hard-sided, with a handle, designed for travel. Luggage is an uncountable noun that refers to all the suitcases and bags a person takes on a trip — you never say 'a luggage' or 'two luggages'. A backpack is carried on your back with two straps and is typically used by hikers, students, or budget travellers. For example: 'She packed her suitcase for the flight' (one item), but 'Her luggage was lost at the airport' (all her bags together).

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • pack a suitcase
  • unpack a suitcase
  • live out of a suitcase

Prepositions

  • in a suitcase
  • out of a suitcase

Etymology

Old FrenchLatinEnglish

Suitcase combines 'suit' (a set of clothes, from Old French 'suite') with 'case' (a container, from Latin 'capsa'). The word first appeared in English in the late 1600s, originally referring to a small case for carrying a suit of clothes while travelling.