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Synonyms

sacked

1 American  
[sakt] / sækt /

adjective

  1. Informal. dismissed or discharged from a job.

    The company was forced to recognize union rights and reinstate the sacked workers.

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

    We've all seen it and winced—the sacked quarterback who can't get up.

  3. put into a sack or sacks.

    The creek channel is constrained by the sacked concrete used to reinforce both of its banks in the 1950s.

    I let him push the cart with my sacked groceries out to my parked car.

verb

  1. the simple past tense and past participle of sack.

sacked 2 American  
[sakt] / sækt /

adjective

  1. destroyed or pillaged, as after capture.

    In the 13th century, Nicaea was a haven for refugees from the sacked city of Constantinople.

verb

  1. the simple past tense and past participle of sack.

Etymology

Origin of sacked1

First recorded in 1880–85; 1930–35 sacked 1 for def. 1; sack 1 ( def. ) + -ed 2 ( def. ) for the adjective senses; sack 1 ( def. ) + -ed 1 ( def. ) for the verb sense

Origin of sacked2

First recorded in 1590–1600; sack 2 ( def. ) + -ed 2 ( def. ) for the adjective; sack 2 ( def. ) + -ed 1 ( def. ) for the verb

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

In AD 452, when Attila the Hun sacked city after city in his conquest of the known world, it was the Catholic Church, not the Roman military, that met him in a show of diplomacy.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2026

It is the opposite approach to that of Thomas Frank, who was named Spurs boss in the summer but was sacked in February.

From BBC • Apr. 9, 2026

The day after she was sacked, her official portrait was thrown in the trash at the very building that had been her domain.

From Salon • Apr. 9, 2026

Pam Bondi is out as attorney general, the latest in a line of high-profile Trump administration women to be sacked in recent weeks.

From Slate • Apr. 3, 2026

“Destroying Brose's calculator hasn't got a thing to do with my dad getting sacked, sir.”

From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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