Backpacking

noun, verb

noun, verb ·3 syllables ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    hiking and camping overnight in backcountry with one's gear carried in a backpack. uncountable

    "The Australian teens, both from Melbourne, were enjoying a backpacking trip when they became ill after a night out in Vang Vieng. The picturesque rural town in northern Laos has long been a popular backpacking spot."

  2. 2
    carrying something in a pack on the back wordnet
  3. 3
    low-cost, generally urban, travel with minimal luggage and frugal accommodations. uncountable
Verb
  1. 1
    present participle and gerund of backpack form-of, gerund, participle, present

Synonyms

All synonyms
amblingfootingfootworkhikinghoofinglegwork

Example

More examples

"This summer, I'm going backpacking in South America with some friends."

Etymology

From backpack + -ing.

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.