1. Plural of carpetbag; small traveling bags made of carpeting material, popular in the 19th century.
Usage: historical
2. Plural of carpetbag; opportunistic outsiders who move to a region to exploit political or economic opportunities, especially used of Northern politicians and businessmen in the post-Civil War South.
Usage: historical; often derogatory

Examples

• The travelers packed their belongings into carpetbags before boarding the train.
• Nineteenth-century immigrants often arrived with only carpetbags containing their possessions.
• During Reconstruction, carpetbags were associated with Northern businessmen seeking fortune in the South.
• The museum displayed several antique carpetbags from the Victorian era.
• She dismissed the newcomers as carpetbags who cared nothing for the community's welfare.