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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Related Words

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”; sec ¹

Example Sentences

Wilcox was choosing to reinforce a point that just because Amorim had been sacked and a caretaker boss was being sought, it did not mean the season was being written off.

From BBC

His sacking, over allegations related to his personal conduct, leaves something of a headache for BBC Radio 2 executives.

From BBC

On Monday, it was announced Mills had been sacked by the BBC over allegations related to his personal conduct.

From BBC

The girl gave a happy yelp, not unlike a fox kit, and they carried on down the road, hand in hand, swinging their filthy prize and sack of rubbish all the way.

From Literature

Mills has been off air since last Wednesday and was sacked by the weekend.

From BBC

Related Words

• discharge
• dismiss
• expel
• fire
• terminate