Meaning & use
wheelie bag
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountableBritishinformal
A bag or small suitcase with wheels on one end and a handle you pull along behind you.
Grammar: Countable: pull a wheelie bag, two wheelie bags.
Patterns
- pull a wheelie bag
- pack a wheelie bag
She dragged her wheelie bag through the busy airport.
I packed a small wheelie bag for the weekend trip.
The pavement was too bumpy for my wheelie bag.
Word forms
| plural | wheelie bags |
|---|
Common combinations
- pull a wheelie bag
- He pulled his wheelie bag along the platform.
- cabin-size wheelie bag
- A cabin-size wheelie bag fits in the overhead locker.
- pack a wheelie bag
- She packed her wheelie bag the night before.
- wheelie bag handle
- The wheelie bag handle snapped off in the taxi.
- drag a wheelie bag
- Tourists dragged wheelie bags over the cobbles.
Synonyms and how they differ
- rolling suitcase
- Rolling suitcase is the neutral, widely understood phrase, while wheelie bag is a casual British term.
- roller bag
- Roller bag is the common American equivalent and means the same thing.
- trolley case
- Trolley case is a British, slightly more formal name for the same type of luggage.
- carry-on
- A carry-on is defined by size and is allowed in the airplane cabin, whereas a wheelie bag is defined by having wheels.
Word family
- wheelie noun
- a stunt riding on one wheel; also used for wheeled things
- wheelie bin noun
- a rubbish bin on wheels
- wheel noun
- a round part that turns
- wheeled adjective
- having wheels
Commonly confused: wheelie bag or wheelie bin?
wheelie bag vs wheelie bin
A wheelie bin is a large outdoor rubbish container on wheels. A wheelie bag is luggage.
Practice
My shoulders were aching, so I swapped my backpack for a ___ that I could pull along behind me.
Choose one answer.
A wheelie bag has wheels and a pull handle. A rucksack is worn on the back and a handbag is carried, so neither is pulled.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “wheelie bag”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.