1. past tense of carpetbag: to move to a place, especially for political or financial gain, without genuine local ties or commitment
Usage: often used critically or pejoratively; historically associated with Northern politicians who moved to the South after the Civil War
2. past tense of carpetbag: to travel or move from place to place, typically as a traveling salesman or itinerant worker
Usage: dated or informal

Examples

• The politician carpetbagged into the district just before the election, raising suspicions about his true motives.
• Critics accused him of carpetbagging when he moved to the state to run for office without any prior community involvement.
• She carpetbagged through several towns selling goods from her suitcase.
• The company carpetbagged into the region, extracted profits, and left without investing in local infrastructure.
• He carpetbagged his way across the country in the 1920s as a traveling salesman.