Meaning & use
bag-for-life
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Meanings
nouncountableBritish
A strong reusable shopping bag, usually made of thick cloth, sold to be used again and again instead of thin plastic ones.
Grammar: Countable: one bag-for-life, two bags-for-life.
Patterns
- a bag-for-life
- buy a bag-for-life
- pack something in a bag-for-life
I keep a bag-for-life folded in my coat pocket so I never need a plastic one.
The supermarket stopped giving out free carriers, so we bought two bags-for-life.
She filled her bag-for-life with vegetables and walked home.
nounsingularfigurative
Used figuratively for something meant to last a very long time or to keep being useful.
Grammar: Usually singular and used with an or the; often in the phrase a bag-for-life.
Patterns
- a bag-for-life
- something is a bag-for-life
His old laptop is a real bag-for-life — it has lasted ten years.
The committee wants a plan that is a bag-for-life, not a quick fix.
Word forms
| plural | bags-for-life |
|---|
Common combinations
- reusable bag-for-life
- The shop sells a sturdy reusable bag-for-life at the checkout.
- buy a bag-for-life
- I always buy a bag-for-life when I forget mine.
- pack something in a bag-for-life
- He packed the shopping in a bag-for-life and cycled home.
- a bag-for-life scheme
- The city started a bag-for-life scheme to cut plastic waste.
- fold up a bag-for-life
- She folded up the bag-for-life and put it in her handbag.
Synonyms and how they differ
- reusable bag
- The general term in both British and American English; bag-for-life is the British shop term for the same kind of strong bag.
- tote bag
- A cloth bag with handles for carrying things; it can be reusable, but it is not always sold for that purpose.
- shopping bag
- Any bag used for shopping, including thin disposable ones, so it is broader and less specific than bag-for-life.
Word family
Commonly confused: bag-for-life or shopping bag?
bag-for-life vs shopping bag
A shopping bag is any bag for carrying purchases and may be thrown away; a bag-for-life is the strong kind you keep and reuse.
Practice
Which sentence uses "bag-for-life" correctly?
Choose one answer.
A bag-for-life is strong and meant to be reused, so buying one to use every week fits. Option 0 is wrong because such a bag is not thrown away after one use, and option 3 is wrong because the whole point is that it is strong.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “bag-for-life”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.