backpack

UK /ˈbæk.pæk/ US /ˈbæk.pæk/ Syllables: back-pack

Pronunciation

Noun A1 Beginner Neutral

A bag with straps, worn on the back and used to carry books or belongings.

A backpack is a bag with two straps that you wear on your back. Students carry books in a backpack, and hikers carry clothes and food. It leaves your hands free and spreads the weight over your shoulders. Backpacks come in many sizes, from a small one for school to a large one for a long trip. As a verb, to backpack means to travel with all you need in a backpack, and a person who does this is called a backpacker. British English also uses the word rucksack.

"He stuffed his books into his backpack before school."

Example sentences

"She put her books in her backpack."

Level A1
"The backpack was too heavy to carry far."

Level A2
"He traveled through Asia with only a small backpack."

Level B1
"Do not forget your lunch in your backpack."

Level A1

Synonyms and antonyms

Synonyms

rucksack

Look-alikes and common mistakes

rucksack : Rucksack is the British word for a large backpack, often used for walking.
suitcase : A suitcase is carried by hand or pulled on wheels. A backpack is worn on the back.

Word family and forms

Forms: backpacks

backpacker backpacking rucksack pack

Word partners

Words and phrases that often go with "backpack".

a school backpack
pack a backpack
carry a backpack
a heavy backpack
go backpacking
a hiking backpack

Origin

Backpack is made from back plus pack. It is first recorded in American English around the turn of the twentieth century, and it was a word used for a pack carried on the back by walkers and campers.

Checked against: Wiktionary, the free dictionary, Dictionary.com.

How to remember it

Backpack is back plus pack. You pack things on your back.

Test yourself

Which word fits the gap? "She put her books in her _____."

Answer: backpack

In your own words, what does "backpack" mean?