bag and suitcase share a recorded sense, so the question is not what they mean but which one fits. bag means “a flexible container with a single opening”. suitcase means “a portable rectangular container for carrying clothes”. bag is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/ˈbæɡ/
1.n.a flexible container with a single opening
“he stuffed his laundry into a large bag”
2.n.the quantity of game taken in a particular period (usually by one person)
“his bag included two deer”
3.n.a place that the runner must touch before scoring
“he scrambled to get back to the bag”
/ˈsutˌkeɪs/
1.n.a portable rectangular container for carrying clothes
“he carried his small bag onto the plane with him”
| bag | suitcase | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈbæɡ/ | /ˈsutˌkeɪs/ |
| Said | bag | SOOT-kays |
| Syllables | 1 | 2 |
| Letters | 3 | 8 |
| Parts of speech | noun, verb | noun |
| Senses | 14 | 1 |
| How common | Core | Common |
| Synonyms | none recorded | bag, traveling bag, travelling bag |
Full entry for bag · Full entry for suitcase · More comparisons