sack
sak
Sack (noun) means a large bag, typically of coarse material, used for carrying or storing bulk goods. Example: “The farmer carried a heavy sack of grain across the yard.”
noun
1
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."
"They loaded sacks of potatoes onto the truck."
"A sack of flour split open in the storeroom."
2
The violent looting and destruction of a captured city or town.
"The museum has a painting showing the sack of an ancient city."
"Many families fled before the sack of the town began."
"Historians still debate the true scale of the sack of Rome in 410 AD."
3
Informal: dismissal from a job.
"Nobody expected the sack, because the shop had always been busy."
"She was afraid of getting the sack after the mistake with the order."
"He got the sack after missing three deadlines in a row."
4
American football: a tackle of the quarterback behind the line of scrimmage before he can pass.
"A late sack on the quarterback ended the other team's final drive."
"The coach praised the linebacker for his sack in the second half."
"The defensive end recorded three sacks in the game."
verb
1
To dismiss someone from their job; to fire.
"The company decided to sack workers who broke the safety rules."
"The board voted to sack the manager after the scandal."
"She was sacked for repeated lateness."
2
To loot and destroy a captured town or city.
"Raiders sacked the coastal town and carried off everything of value."
"In the old story, the city was sacked after a long siege."
"The invading army sacked the capital within days."
3
American football: to tackle the quarterback behind the line before he throws.
"The defensive end sacked the quarterback and the crowd roared."
"Our quarterback kept getting sacked because the blockers could not hold their positions."
"He was sacked twice in the first quarter."
How to use sack
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA large bag, or (informally) to fire someone, or a football tackle behind the line.
When to use it
"Get the sack" / "sack someone" is informal, common in British English for being fired.
Common pairings
get the sack
sack of potatoes
sack the coach
quarterback sack
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Word forms
- Plural
- sacks
- Third person singular
- sacks
- Past tense
- sacked
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
The farmer carried a heavy _____ of grain across the yard.
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.
Class of 1800
sack joined the language around 1800.
See the full Class of 1800 →
Synonyms
View more →Antonyms
Related words
Rhymes for sack
See all rhymes for 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.
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