What does luggage mean?
Luggage means the bags, cases, and other containers used for carrying clothing and personal belongings when travelling. It may refer either to the collection of bags themselves or, collectively, to everything a traveller has packed in them. The word is usually uncountable, as in “Her luggage is overweight,” and is particularly familiar in travel and airline contexts, including expressions such as “check luggage,” “carry-on luggage,” and “luggage allowance.” In everyday use, it tends to suggest suitcases, holdalls, and similar travel bags, although the term can also cover items that are not containers themselves. The word is standard in both British and American English. Compared with the broader word “baggage,” “luggage” more directly evokes the containers and possessions associated with a journey, while “baggage” can also carry figurative associations with emotional or psychological burdens.
Bags, suitcases, and other containers used to carry personal belongings when travelling.
"Her luggage was stored in the hold of the aircraft."
Normally uncountable; use singular agreement.
The personal belongings carried by someone when travelling, taken collectively.
"The porter carefully stacked the luggage outside the train compartment."
This collective sense is also normally uncountable.
“Luggage” is normally uncountable and does not take a plural in standard usage. “Luggages” may occur in informal or nonstandard contexts, but it is not the preferred form.
"The screen displays the number of luggages allowed on the flight."
The word “luggage” comes from the idea of carrying heavy things: it is the collective name for everything that travels with you.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of luggage
“Luggage” developed in the late 16th century, with its earliest recorded uses referring to baggage or things carried. Its formation is generally associated with the verb “lug,” meaning to carry or drag something heavy, together with the suffix “-age.” The word originally emphasized the burden or load being carried, but it gradually came to refer to the bags and cases used for travel. Modern usage is especially associated with passenger travel and air travel.
How luggage is actually used
“Luggage” is normally uncountable, so it is used with singular agreement and does not take a plural form in standard usage. It is especially common in British English but is also standard in American English.