sack

1
[ sak ]
See synonyms for: sacksackedsacking on Thesaurus.com
noun

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

  2. the amount a sack holds.

  1. a bag: a sack of candy.

  2. the sack, Informal. dismissal or discharge, as from a job: to get the sack.

  3. the sack, Slang. 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.

  4. Also sacque .

    • 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.

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

  5. Baseball. a base.

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

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.

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

Verb Phrases

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

Idioms about sack

  1. hit the sack, Slang. to go to bed; go to sleep: He never hits the sack before midnight.

  2. leave holding the sack. bag (def. 30).

Origin of sack

1
First recorded before 1000; 1940–45 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”

regional variation note For sack

See bag.

Other words from sack

  • sack·like, adjective

Words that may be confused with sack

  • sac, sack , sacque

Words Nearby sack

Other definitions for sack (2 of 3)

sack2
[ sak ]
verb (used with object)

  1. to pillage or loot after capture; plunder: to sack a city.

noun

  1. the plundering of a captured place; pillage: the sack of Troy.

Origin of sack

2
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 sack1)

synonym study For sack

1. See rob.

Other words for sack

Other definitions for sack (3 of 3)

sack3
[ sak ]
noun

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

Origin of sack

3
First recorded in 1525–35; from French (vin ) sec “dry (wine),” from Latin siccus “dry”; cf. sec1

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use sack in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for sack (1 of 3)

sack1

/ (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

    • a woman's loose tube-shaped dress

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

  2. short for rucksack

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

  4. the sack informal dismissal from employment

  5. a slang word for bed

  6. hit the sack slang to go to bed

  7. rough as sacks NZ uncouth

verb(tr)

  1. informal to dismiss from employment

  2. to put into a sack or sacks

Origin of sack

1
Old English sacc, from Latin saccus bag, from Greek sakkos; related to Hebrew saq

Derived forms of sack

  • sacklike, adjective

British Dictionary definitions for sack (2 of 3)

sack2

/ (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

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

Origin of sack

2
C16: from French phrase mettre à sac, literally: to put (loot) in a sack, from Latin saccus sack 1

Derived forms of sack

  • sacker, noun

British Dictionary definitions for sack (3 of 3)

sack3

/ (sæk) /

noun

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

Origin of sack

3
C16 wyne seck, from French vin sec dry wine, from Latin siccus dry

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with sack

sack

In addition to the idiom beginning with sack

  • sack out

also see:

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

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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