backpack

A knapsack, sometimes mounted on a light frame, but always supported by straps, worn on a person’s back for the purpose of carrying things, especially when hiking, or on a student's back when carrying books.

Noun

  1. A knapsack, sometimes mounted on a light frame, but always supported by straps, worn on a person’s back for the purpose of carrying things, especially when hiking, or on a student's back when carrying books.
    • Rachel discovered that she could also keep things in her backpack that were important to her, nobody would know about them because they would be hidden. These important things included a small round rock that she had...
    • Many seats carry reservation labels, while the luggage racks are festooned with backpacks and suitcases. - 2022 November 30, Paul Bigland, “Destination Oban: a Sunday in Scotland”, in RAIL, number 971, page 77:
  2. A similarly placed item containing a parachute or other life support equipment.

Origin

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *bʰeg-der.? Proto-Germanic *baką Proto-West Germanic *bak Old English bæc Middle English bak English back English pack English backpack From back + pack.

Forms

backpacks back pack

Synonyms

book bag bookbag booksack haversack knapsack packsack rucksack

Hyponyms

creel

Derived

backpack funding backpack nuke backpack rap I lost my backpack

Verb

  1. To hike and camp overnight in backcountry with one's gear carried in a backpack.
    • I spent a month backpacking in the Rockies.
  2. To engage in low-cost, generally urban, travel with minimal luggage and frugal accommodation.
  3. To place or carry (an item or items) in a backpack.
    • Astronauts backpack oxygen during spacewalks.
    • I planned to go to jungle today and backpacked my things which contained^([sic]) food and a note book. - 2020, Akara September 2020 Magazine, page 103:

Forms

backpacks backpacking backpacked back pack

Derived

backpackable backpacker backpacking fastpack packing slackpack