clear plastic bag

Meaning

A clear plastic bag is a transparent, resealable bag used at airport security to hold small liquids, gels, and aerosols. According to international travel rules, these items must fit into a single, one-quart (or one-liter) bag and be placed in a security bin. This allows security officers to easily inspect your liquids.

Examples

• All liquids in your carry-on luggage must fit inside a single, clear plastic bag.

  All liquids in your carry-on luggage must fit inside a single, clear plastic bag.

• I bought a pack of clear plastic bags to pack my toiletries for the flight.

  I bought a pack of clear plastic bags to pack my toiletries for the flight.

• The security officer asked me to take the clear plastic bag out of my suitcase.

  The security officer asked me to take the clear plastic bag out of my suitcase.

• You can get a clear plastic bag at the airport check-in desk if you forgot one.

  You can get a clear plastic bag at the airport check-in desk if you forgot one.

• Make sure your clear plastic bag is completely zipped shut before going through security.

  Make sure your clear plastic bag is completely zipped shut before going through security.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ Put your liquids in a transparent nylon bag.

  ✓ Put your liquids in a clear plastic bag.

  Non-native speakers often translate 'plastic' or 'cellophane' as 'nylon' due to L1 interference, but 'clear plastic bag' is the standard term used by airport security.

• ✗ I need a clean plastic bag for my shampoo.

  ✓ I need a clear plastic bag for my shampoo.

  'Clean' means not dirty, but airport rules require a 'clear' (transparent) bag so the contents are visible.

Related Expressions

Practice

• Please place all your travel-sized liquids in a ___ before reaching the security scanner.

  💡 A transparent, resealable bag for holding liquids.

  Show answer

  clear plastic bag

• The security officer checked the size of my ___ to make sure it was under one liter.

  💡 The see-through container required for airport security toiletries.

  Show answer

  clear plastic bag