1. Northerners who moved to the South after the Civil War to profit from Reconstruction, often through political office or business exploitation.
Usage: historical; often derogatory; plural form
2. A person who moves to a new place for personal gain, especially someone who enters politics or business in an unfamiliar region without genuine local ties.
Usage: figurative; modern usage

Examples

• The carpetbaggers arrived in the South with little more than a suitcase and big ambitions.
• Many carpetbaggers took advantage of the chaos following the Civil War to accumulate wealth.
• The term 'carpetbagger' became synonymous with Northern exploitation during Reconstruction.
• Some modern politicians are criticized as carpetbaggers when they run for office in districts where they have no real roots.
• Southerners resented the carpetbaggers who seemed to care only about profit, not the community's welfare.