sacking

[ sak-ing ]

/ ˈsæk ɪŋ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR sacking ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

stout, coarse woven material of hemp, jute, or the like, chiefly for sacks.

Nearby words

sackbut, sackcloth, sackcloth and ashes, sacker, sackful, sacking, sacks, sackville, sackville, thomas, 1st earl of dorset, sackville-west, sackville-west, vita

Origin of sacking

First recorded in 1580–90; sack¹ + -ing¹

Also called sackcloth.

Definition for sacking (2 of 3)

sack

[ sak ]

/ sæk /

noun

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

the amount a sack holds.

a bag: a sack of candy.

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

Slang. bed: I bet he's still in the sack.

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.

Baseball. a base.

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

verb (used with object)

to put into a sack or sacks.

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

Slang. to dismiss or discharge, as from a job.

Verb Phrases

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

Origin of sack

before 1000; 1940–45 for def 5; Middle English sak (noun), sakken (v.), Old English sacc (noun) < Latin saccus bag, sackcloth < Greek sákkos < Semitic; compare Hebrew śaq

Related formssack·like, adjective

Can be confusedbag sac sack sacque

Regional variation note

See bag.

Definition for sacking (3 of 3)

sack

[ sak ]

/ sæk /

verb (used with object)

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

noun

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

Origin of sack

1540–50; < Middle French phrase mettre à sac to put to pillage; sac, in this sense < Italian sacco looting, loot, shortened form of saccomano < Middle High German sakman pillager (conformed to sacco sack¹)

SYNONYMS FOR sack

1 spoil, despoil. See rob.

2 looting; destruction, ruin.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR sack ON THESAURUS.COM

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for sacking

But time will remember him most vividly for coining the term “sack,” as in “sacking the quarterback,” which he did a lot.
The Deaths You Missed This Year|Malcolm Jones, Jimmy So, Michael Moynihan, Caitlin Dickson|December 30, 2013|DAILY BEAST
I had time to see everything about her—her sacking apron, her clumsy clogs, her arms reddened by the cold.
Orwell’s Lies: His Diaries Reveal Problems with the Truth|Jimmy So|August 19, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The sacking of Gotham is depicted largely in the form of a burlesque kangaroo court straight out of Terry Gilliam.
‘Dark Knight Rises’: Christopher Nolan’s Masterpiece|Richard Rushfield|July 26, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The sacking of Bo Xilai is a pre-emptive move to ensure that the liberal line prevails in China, not the statist model.
Bo Xilai’s Sacking Signals Showdown In China’s Communist Party|Rosemary Righter|March 15, 2012|DAILY BEAST

Arthur De Vany reports on how carb-laden snacks are sacking Americans' testosterone levels.
The Super Bowl May Harm Your Masculinity|Arthur De Vany|February 3, 2011|DAILY BEAST
She unrolled the sacking, and out fell two of those straw cases which are used to protect wine-bottles.
Jim Davis|John Masefield
But the sacking still bulged downward with the weight thrown on the bed.
The Admirable Lady Biddy Fane|Frank Barrett
I ain't used to wearin' nothin' but loring (a simple one piece garment made from sacking).
Slave Narratives: a Folk History of Slavery in the United States From Interviews with Former Slaves|Work Projects Administration
There was something ominous in the very way he rolled up the strawberry jam in sacking.
Tenting To-night|Mary Roberts Rinehart
Welcome horse-hair vests, sacking sheets, and the “bitter bite of the flea,”—sad entertainment for gentlemen!
Hugh, Bishop of Lincoln|Charles L. Marson

British Dictionary definitions for sacking (1 of 4)

sacking

/ (ˈsækɪŋ) /

noun

coarse cloth used for making sacks, woven from flax, hemp, jute, etc

British Dictionary definitions for sacking (2 of 4)

sack

/ (sæk) /

noun

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

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

short for rucksack

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 batsmanAlso called (in Britain and certain other countries): bye

the sack informal dismissal from employment

a slang word for bed

hit the sack slang to go to bed

rough as sacks NZ uncouth

verb (tr)

informal to dismiss from employment

to put into a sack or sacks

Derived Formssacklike, adjective

Word Origin for sack

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

British Dictionary definitions for sacking (3 of 4)

sack

/ (sæk) /

noun

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

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

verb

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

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

Derived Formssacker, noun

Word Origin for sack

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

British Dictionary definitions for sacking (4 of 4)

sack

/ (sæk) /

noun

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

Word Origin for sack

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

Word Origin and History for sacking (1 of 8)

sack

n.1

"large bag," Old English sacc (West Saxon), sec (Mercian), sæc (Old Kentish) "large cloth bag," also "sackcloth," from Proto-Germanic *sakkiz (cf. Middle Dutch sak, Old High German sac, Old Norse sekkr, but Gothic sakkus probably is directly from Greek), an early borrowing from Latin saccus (also source of Old French sac, Spanish saco, Italian sacco), from Greek sakkos, from Semitic (cf. Hebrew saq "sack").

The wide spread of the word is probably due to the Biblical story of Joseph, in which a sack of corn figures (Gen. xliv). Baseball slang sense of "a base" is attested from 1913. Slang meaning "bunk, bed" is from 1825, originally nautical. The verb meaning "go to bed" is recorded from 1946. Sack race attested from 1805.

Word Origin and History for sacking (1 of 8)

sack

n.2

"a dismissal from work," 1825, from sack (n.1), perhaps from the notion of the worker going off with his tools in a bag; the original formula was to give (someone) the sack. It is attested earlier in French (on luy a donné son sac, 17c.) and Dutch (iemand de zak geven).

Word Origin and History for sacking (2 of 8)

sack

n.4

"sherry," 1530s, alteration of French vin sec "dry wine," from Latin siccus "dry" (see siccative).

Word Origin and History for sacking (3 of 8)

sack

v.1

"to plunder," 1540s, from Middle French sac, in the phrase mettre à sac "put it in a bag," a military leader's command to his troops to plunder a city (parallel to Italian sacco, with the same range of meaning), from Vulgar Latin *saccare "to plunder," originally "to put plundered things into a sack," from Latin saccus "bag" (see sack (n.1)). The notion is probably of putting booty in a bag.

Word Origin and History for sacking (4 of 8)

sack

n.3

"plunder; act of plundering, the plundering of a city or town after storming and capture," 1540s, from French sac "pillage, plunder," from Italian sacco (see sack (v.1)).

Word Origin and History for sacking (5 of 8)

sack

v.2

"put in a bag," late 14c., from sack (n.1). Related: Sacked; sacking.

Word Origin and History for sacking (6 of 8)

sack

v.3

"dismiss from work," 1841, from sack (n.2). Related: Sacked; sacking.

Word Origin and History for sacking (7 of 8)

sack

v.4

type of U.S. football play, 1969, from sack (v.1) in the sense of "to plunder" or sack (v.2) on the notion of "put in a bag." As a noun from 1972.

Idioms and Phrases with sacking

sack

In addition to the idiom beginning with sack

sack out

also see:

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

sacking

noun

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of sacking

Definition for sacking (2 of 3)

sack

noun

verb (used with object)

Verb Phrases

Origin of sack

Regional variation note

Definition for sacking (3 of 3)

sack

verb (used with object)

noun

Origin of sack

Examples from the Web for sacking

British Dictionary definitions for sacking (1 of 4)

sacking

noun

British Dictionary definitions for sacking (2 of 4)

sack

noun

verb (tr)

Word Origin for sack

British Dictionary definitions for sacking (3 of 4)

sack

noun

verb

Word Origin for sack

British Dictionary definitions for sacking (4 of 4)

sack

noun

Word Origin for sack

Word Origin and History for sacking (1 of 8)

sack

Word Origin and History for sacking (1 of 8)

sack

Word Origin and History for sacking (2 of 8)

sack

Word Origin and History for sacking (3 of 8)

sack

Word Origin and History for sacking (4 of 8)

sack

Word Origin and History for sacking (5 of 8)

sack

Word Origin and History for sacking (6 of 8)

sack

Word Origin and History for sacking (7 of 8)

sack

Idioms and Phrases with sacking

sack