Definition

1. Noun:
   • A portable rectangular container for carrying clothes and personal items, typically when traveling: A suitcase is a piece of luggage with a handle, designed to hold a traveler's belongings. It is often made of hard or soft material and may have wheels.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • She packed her suitcase for the two-week vacation.
  • He placed his suitcase in the overhead compartment on the train.
  • The suitcase was heavy, filled with books and winter clothes.

Advanced Usage

• "To live out of a suitcase": To travel frequently or be away from home so often that one's belongings remain packed.
  • As a touring musician, she essentially lives out of a suitcase for months at a time.

Variants and Related Words

• Suitcases (n): The plural form.

  • All the suitcases were lined up at the baggage claim.

• Case (n): A more general term for a container or receptacle, which can sometimes refer to a suitcase in specific contexts (e.g., "briefcase").

  • He grabbed his briefcase and left for the office. (Note: This is a related but distinct type of case.)

Synonyms

• Bag: A general term for a flexible container.
• Luggage: A collective term for suitcases and other bags used while traveling.
• Valise: A somewhat old-fashioned term for a small suitcase.

Related Phrases

• "Pack a suitcase": To put items into a suitcase in preparation for travel.

  • It took her an hour to pack a suitcase for the business trip.

• "Unpack a suitcase": To remove items from a suitcase after travel.

  • He was too tired to unpack his suitcase when he got home.

Related Idioms

• "Suitcase words": A term (coined by Marvin Minsky) referring to words that carry a lot of different meanings packed into them, much like a suitcase holds many items.
  • Words like "consciousness" or "intelligence" are often considered suitcase words.

Noun

1. a portable rectangular container for carrying clothes
   • he carried his small bag onto the plane with him