sack

¹ American  

[sak] / sæk /

noun

1. a large bag of strong, coarsely woven material, as for grain, potatoes, or coal.

2. the amount a sack holds.

3. a bag.

   a sack of candy.

4. Informal. the sack, dismissal or discharge, as from a job.

   to get the sack.

5. Slang. the sack, bed, often as the site of sexual activity.

   It's past noon, but I bet that lazybones is still in the sack.

   If you want the relationship to be more than just a night in the sack, you have to work at it.

6. Also sacque

   1. a loose-fitting dress, as a gown with a Watteau back, especially one fashionable in the late 17th century and much of the 18th century.

   2. a loose-fitting coat, jacket, or cape.

7. Baseball. a base.

8. South Midland U.S. the udder of a cow.

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verb (used with object)

1. to put into a sack or sacks.

2. Football. to tackle (the quarterback) behind the line of scrimmage before the quarterback is able to throw a pass.

3. Informal. to dismiss or discharge, as from a job.

verb phrase

1. sack out to go to bed; fall asleep.

idioms

1. leave holding the sack. bag.

2. hit the sack, to go to bed; go to sleep.

   He never hits the sack before midnight.

sack ² American  

[sak] / sæk /

verb (used with object)

1. to pillage or loot after capture; plunder.

   to sack a city.

   Synonyms:

   despoil, spoil

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noun

1. the plundering of a captured place; pillage.

   the sack of Troy.

   Synonyms:

   ruin, destruction

sack ³ American  

[sak] / sæk /

noun

1. a strong light-colored wine formerly imported from Spain and the Canary Islands.

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sack ¹ British  

/ sæk /

noun

1. a large bag made of coarse cloth, thick paper, etc, used as a container

2. Also called: sackful.  the amount contained in a sack, sometimes used as a unit of measurement

3. 1. a woman's loose tube-shaped dress

   2. Also called: sacque.  a woman's full loose hip-length jacket, worn in the 18th and mid-20th centuries

4. short for rucksack

5. Also called (in Britain and certain other countries): bye.  cricket a run scored off a ball not struck by the batsman: allotted to the team as an extra and not to the individual batsman

6. informal dismissal from employment

7. a slang word for bed

8. slang to go to bed

9. uncouth

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verb

1. informal to dismiss from employment

2. to put into a sack or sacks

sack ² British  

/ sæk /

noun

1. the plundering of a place by an army or mob, usually involving destruction, slaughter, etc

2. American football a tackle on a quarterback which brings him down before he has passed the ball

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verb

1. (tr) to plunder and partially destroy (a place)

2. American football to tackle and bring down a quarterback before he has passed the ball

sack ³ British  

/ sæk /

noun

1. archaic any dry white wine formerly imported into Britain from SW Europe

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sack More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing sack

• get the ax (sack)
• hit the hay (sack)
• sad sack

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Synonym Usage

See rob.

Regionalisms

See bag.

Other Word Forms

• sacker
  noun
• sacklike
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of sack¹

First recorded before 1000; 1940–45 sack ¹ for def. 5; Middle English noun sak, sak(k)e Old English sacc, from Latin saccus “bag, sack, sackcloth,” from Greek sákkos “bag made from goat hair, sieve, burlap, large cloak (as for a wedding dress),” from Semitic; compare Hebrew, Phoenician śaq “cloth made of hair, bag, mourning dress”

Origin of sack²

First recorded in 1540–50; from Middle French phrase mettre à sac “to put to pillage”; sac, in this sense from Italian sacco “looting, loot,” shortened form of saccomano, from Middle High German sakman “pillager” (conformed to sacco sack ¹ )

Origin of sack³

First recorded in 1525–35; from French ( vin ) sec “dry (wine),” from Latin siccus “dry”; cf. sec ¹

Explanation

A sack is a bag. In some parts of the country, store clerks put your stuff in a sack, but in other parts the same stuff goes in a bag. Sack is also an exciting verb. While a sack is often just a bag, as a verb it can do a lot more. A boss might sack, or fire, an employee who’s no longer needed. In American football, if you sack a quarterback, you tackle him. This comes from the other meaning of sack, which is to raid and plunder a town, like when the Visigoths sacked Rome. If someone says they’re going to hit the sack, don’t worry, they’re just going to bed.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sack

Suddenly, your good time is interrupted by an elder pulling you aside and pushing you toward a paunchy, bespectacled sack lurking in a corner.

From Salon ● Jul. 3, 2026

It might be quite expensive for the German FA to sack the well-paid manager but it could be the only way to make a fresh start.

From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026

To cool the air, he hangs a wet sack in front of a fan.

From Barron's ● Jun. 26, 2026

The decision to sack Slot was made by Michael Edwards, who is Fenway Sports Group's chief executive of football, and Liverpool's sporting director Richard Hughes.

From BBC ● Jun. 4, 2026

At the matron’s unspoken command, I emptied a bottle of vitamins and a sack of peppermint drops the same way.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

Related Words

• discharge
• dismiss
• expel
• fire
• terminate