sack

1 of 2

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

2 of 2

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

Synonyms of sack

Verb (1)

• dismiss
• remove
• fire
• retire
• release
• ax

Verb (2)

• plunder
• loot
• pillage
• raid
• despoil

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

Verb (1)

he was sacked for showing up late once too often

Verb (2)

thieves sacked the house in search of the diamond necklace

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

And as Pulisic’s private jet made its way from Italy to New York, the club’s coach, sporting director and two other top executives were sacked. —Los Angeles Times, 7 June 2026

The Giants were inside the 25-yard line when Manning was sacked for a short loss with a minute left. —Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 5 June 2026

Then, just three plays later, Grier was sacked by Saints defensive end Cam Jordan. —Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 4 June 2026

During Wednesday’s open-media look, Thomas flew around the edge during 11-on-11 and would have likely sacked quarterback Justin Fields in a game situation. —Pete Sweeney june 4, Kansas City Star, 4 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

and Verb (2)

First Known Use

Verb (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (2)

circa 1547, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing sack

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

Rhymes for sack

• ack
• brack
• clack
• crack
• dak
• flack
• flak
• hack
• jack
• knack
• lac
• lack

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