sack

20 synonyms and 3 antonyms for sack, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.

Noun — A large bag, typically of coarse material, used for carrying or storing bulk goods.

Synonyms

Everyday swaps

Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.

bag pack firing can clear fire net

Less common

Still standard English, but they carry more weight.

pouch rack terminate dismiss

Rare, literary or technical

Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.

plunder pillage pink slip the boot the chop the elbow one's cards the old heave-ho displace

Synonyms by Meaning

1. noun

A large bag, typically of coarse material, used for carrying or storing bulk goods.

“The farmer carried a heavy sack of grain across the yard.”

bag pouch pack plunder pillage firing pink slip the boot the chop the elbow one's cards the old heave-ho rack

2. verb

To dismiss someone from their job; to fire.

“The company decided to sack workers who broke the safety rules.”

can terminate clear fire dismiss net plunder displace

3. verb

To loot and destroy a captured town or city.

“Raiders sacked the coastal town and carried off everything of value.”

Opposites

preserve protect spare

How to use sack

The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.

get the sack sack of potatoes sack the coach quarterback sack

"Get the sack" / "sack someone" is informal, common in British English for being fired.

Etymology

From Old English sacc, ultimately from Latin saccus, "large bag," which itself came from Greek and possibly a Semitic source. The "fire someone" sense grew from 19th-century slang about a dismissed worker packing his tools into a sack.

Full origin of sack →

Frequently asked questions

What does “sack” mean?

The word “sack” means a large bag, typically of coarse material, used for carrying or storing bulk goods. In plain terms, a large bag, or (informally) to fire someone, or a football tackle behind the line.

How do you pronounce “sack”?

“Sack” is pronounced sak (/sæk/ in IPA).

How do you use “sack” in a sentence?

Here is “sack” used in a sentence: “They loaded sacks of potatoes onto the truck.”

What is another word for “sack”?

Words with a similar meaning to “sack” include pink slip, the boot, the chop, the elbow, one's cards and the old heave-ho.

What part of speech is “sack”?

Depending on how it is used, “sack” can be a noun and a verb.

Where does the word “sack” come from?

The word “sack” dates back to around 1800 and comes from Latin.

Is “sack” a common word?

“Sack” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B2 level.

How many meanings does “sack” have?

“Sack” has 7 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a large bag, typically of coarse material, used for carrying or storing bulk goods.

What is the difference between a sack and a bag?

A sack is a large bag, usually made of coarse material such as hessian or burlap, used for carrying or storing bulk goods like grain or potatoes. Every sack is a kind of bag, but "bag" is the broader word and can be small and made of any material.

What is the difference between getting the sack and being made redundant?

Getting the sack is an informal way of saying someone has been dismissed from a job, often for poor performance or misconduct. Being made redundant means losing a job because the role itself is no longer needed, not because of any fault.

What is the difference between sacking a city and looting it?

Sacking a city means the wholesale plundering and destruction of a captured town, usually by an invading army. Looting is the stealing of goods, which is one part of a sack but does not by itself include the wider destruction.

Is 'sack' formal or informal when it means losing a job?

In the sense of dismissal, sack is informal, as in "he got the sack" or "she was sacked." In formal writing, verbs such as dismiss, terminate, or let go are normally used instead.

People also searched

can fire clear protect net bag pack spare firing preserve rack dismiss

Nearby words

← Back to the full definition of sack