sack

1 of 5

noun (1)

ˈsak 

1

: a usually rectangular-shaped bag (as of paper, burlap, or canvas)

2

: the amount contained in a sack

especially : a fixed amount of a commodity used as a unit of measure

3

a

: a woman's loose-fitting dress

b

: a short usually loose-fitting coat for women and children

c

: sacque sense 2

4

: dismissal

gave him the sack

5

a

: hammock, bunk

b

: bed

6

: a base in baseball

7

: an instance of sacking the quarterback in football

sackful

ˈsak-ˌfu̇l 

noun

sack

2 of 5

verb (1)

sacked; sacking; sacks

transitive verb

1

: to put in or as if in a sack

2

: to dismiss especially summarily

3

: to tackle (the quarterback) behind the line of scrimmage in football

sack

3 of 5

noun (2)

: any of several white wines imported to England from Spain and the Canary Islands during the 16th and 17th centuries

sack

4 of 5

verb (2)

sacked; sacking; sacks

transitive verb

1

: to plunder (a place, such as a town) especially after capture

2

: to strip of valuables : loot

sack

5 of 5

noun (3)

: the plundering of a captured town

Synonyms

Noun (1)

• bag
• poke [chiefly Southern & Midland]
• pouch

Verb (1)

• ax
• axe
• bounce
• can
• cashier
• discharge
• dismiss
• fire
• muster out
• pink-slip
• release
• remove
• retire
• terminate
• turn off

Verb (2)

• despoil
• loot
• maraud
• pillage
• plunder
• ransack

Choose the Right Synonym for sack

ravage, devastate, waste, sack, pillage, despoil mean to lay waste by plundering or destroying.

ravage implies violent often cumulative depredation and destruction.

a hurricane ravaged the coast

devastate implies the complete ruin and desolation of a wide area.

an earthquake devastated the city

waste may imply producing the same result by a slow process rather than sudden and violent action.

years of drought had wasted the area

sack implies carrying off all valuable possessions from a place.

barbarians sacked ancient Rome

pillage implies ruthless plundering at will but without the completeness suggested by sack.

settlements pillaged by Vikings

despoil applies to looting or robbing without suggesting accompanying destruction.

the Nazis despoiled the art museums

Examples of sack in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Jalen Mayden’s protection SDSU quarterback Jalen Mayden was sacked six times last week at Oregon State. —Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Sep. 2023

Meanwhile, behind a rebuilt and revving offensive line, Stafford was only sacked once while using the time to find seven receivers on 34-of-55 passing for 307 yards and a touchdown. —Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2023

When Chaim Bloom was sacked last week, team president Sam Kennedy suggested the Sox would be more deliberate in making their choice this time. —Peter Abraham, BostonGlobe.com, 18 Sep. 2023

He was also sacked four times, lost a fumble and had an interception returned for a TD. —Mark Heim | [e-mail], al, 17 Sep. 2023

The injury occurred near the beginning of the first quarter of Monday night's game after Bills linebacker Leonard Floyd sacked Rodgers. —Ingrid Vasquez, Peoplemag, 15 Sep. 2023

Last Saturday, the Longhorns sacked Jalen Milroe five times on 39 dropbacks. —Corey Smith, Dallas News, 14 Sep. 2023

Rodgers suffered a complete tear of his left Achilles tendon after being sacked by Buffalo Bills’ edge rusher Leonard Floyd on just the Jets’ fourth offensive play of the game on Monday night. —oregonlive, 13 Sep. 2023

During that game, Pittsburgh’s Kenny Pickett threw for 195 yards and one touchdown, while Cleveland’s Deshaun Watson finished with 230 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions, and was sacked seven times. —Irie Harris, cleveland, 18 Sep. 2023

Noun

He was sacked three times, raising his total to eight sacks through three games. —Paulina Dedaj, Fox News, 25 Sep. 2023

Bosa played in a limited role in Week 2, totaling two sacks and four tackles in 19 snaps. —Jeff Miller, Los Angeles Times, 22 Sep. 2023

Batavia 3-1 (1) Junior linebacker RJ Bohr delivers with eight tackles, sack and two passes defended. 2. —Rick Armstrong, Chicago Tribune, 18 Sep. 2023

Stone is a two-time all-conference defender whose career includes 14 sacks and 24½ tackles for loss. —Ndaschel, oregonlive, 18 Sep. 2023

Outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney seems to be settling into his role as a pass-rush specialist and was consistently pressuring Burrow on his way to four tackles, a sack and two quarterback hurries. —Mike Preston, Baltimore Sun, 17 Sep. 2023

Dallas’ defense was once again the protagonist, piling up three sacks and five tackles for loss to go with four takeaways created. —Sportsday Staff, Dallas News, 17 Sep. 2023

Brandon Purifoy led the defense with 11 tackles, three tackles for a loss, a sack and an interception. —al, 9 Sep. 2023

For sleep sacks and wearable blankets, look at the manufacturer’s safety notes before use. —Samson McDougall, Parents, 8 Sep. 2023

See More

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English sak bag, sackcloth, from Old English sacc, from Latin saccus bag & Late Latin saccus sackcloth, both from Greek sakkos bag, sackcloth, of Semitic origin; akin to Hebrew śaq bag, sackcloth

Noun (2)

modification of Middle French sec dry, from Latin siccus; probably akin to Old High German sīhan to filter, Sanskrit siñcati he pours

Noun (3) and Verb (2)

Middle French sac, from Old Italian sacco, literally, bag, from Latin saccus

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

circa 1532, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

circa 1547, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (3)

1549, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing sack

• sack coat
• sad sack
• get the sack
• give (someone) the sack
• tow sack
• sack race
• sack out
• hit the sack
• croker sack

• sack coat
• sad sack
• get the sack
• give (someone) the sack
• tow sack
• sack race
• sack out
• hit the sack
• croker sack

See More

Kids Definition

sack

1 of 5 noun

ˈsak 

1

: a flexible container (as of paper) : bag

2

: sackful

3

: discharge from employment

—usually used with get or give

4

: bunk entry 1 sense 3, bed

sacklike

-ˌlīk

adjective

sack

2 of 5 verb

1

: to put in a sack

2

: dismiss sense 2, fire

sack

3 of 5 noun

: any of several white wines imported to England from Spain and the Canary Islands in the 16th and 17th centuries

sack

4 of 5 verb

1

: to loot after capture

2

: pillage entry 2, loot

sack

5 of 5 noun

: the looting of a captured town

Etymology

Noun

Middle English sak "bag, sackcloth," from early French sacc (same meaning), from Latin saccus "bag" and later Latin saccus "sackcloth," both from Greek sakkos "bag, sackcloth" — related to sack entry 4

Noun

from early French sec "dry to the taste, not sweet," from Latin siccus (same meaning)

Verb

from English sack "the action of looting," from early French sac (same meaning), from early Italian sacco, literally, "a bag," from Latin saccus "bag" — related to sack entry 1