From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishhandbaghand‧bag /ˈhændbæɡ/ ●●○ S3 noun [countable] 1 
DCa small bag in which a woman carries money and personal things SYN purse American English2 → handbags
DCa small bag in which a woman carries money and personal things SYN purse American English2 → handbagsExamples from the Corpus
handbag• So Auntie, her umbrella in one hand and her handbag in the other, set out.• She reached down for her handbag on the floor.• She took the two gifts from her handbag and set them on the table.• Grabbed her handbag back, gave me the gargoyle stare, went inside.• The diary she dropped back into her handbag.• She drove three kicks into his shins and smashed her handbag into the side of his head.• They took her handbag and she was very shaken.• The handbag was red and gold, with a dainty gold-link chain. 