Meaning & use
carpetbagger
Last updated
An outsider who moves into an area for opportunistic financial or political gain, without genuine ties to the community.
See it in a sentence
Local voters accused the candidate of being a carpetbagger with no real connection to the district.
The term originally described Northerners who moved South after the Civil War seeking profit.
A note on using this word
'Carpetbagger' originated during the U.S. Reconstruction era, named for the cheap traveling bags Northern newcomers carried; it's still used as a political insult today.
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