Phrase guide

doggy bag

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

A bag (or other container) used to take home uneaten food from a restaurant meal.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • Near-synonym: goody bag

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: goody bag

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A bag used to pick up the droppings of dogs in parks and public places.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: bowser bag

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

a bag for food that a customer did not eat at a restaurant; the transparent pretense is that the food is taken home to feed the customer's dog

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: doggie bag

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: sack, poke, paper bag, carrier bag

History

Etymology

From doggy + bag. In the food sense, this refers to the idea that the food is to be taken home for the diner's dog.

Across languages

Translations

8 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Afrikaans: woefkardoes — bag used to take home uneaten food
  • Dutch: doggybag — bag used to take home uneaten food
  • Estonian: penipaun — bag used to take home uneaten food
  • Japanese: ドギーバッグ (dogībaggu) — bag used to take home uneaten food
  • Spanish: bolsa para llevar — bag used to take home uneaten food
  • Spanish: bolsa de las sobras — bag used to take home uneaten food
  • Finnish: koirankakkapussi — bag used to pick up the droppings of dogs
  • Polish: torba na psią kupę — bag used to pick up the droppings of dogs