Meanings
sack1
plural sacks
- A bag; especially a large bag of strong, coarse material for storage and handling of various commodities, such as potatoes, coal, coffee; or, a bag with handles used at a supermarket, a grocery sack; or, a small bag for small items, a satchel.
- The amount a sack holds; also, an archaic or historical measure of varying capacity, depending on commodity type and according to local usage; an old English measure of weight, usually of wool, equal to 13 stone (182 pounds), or in other sources, 26 stone (364 pounds).
The American sack of salt is 215 pounds; the sack of wheat, two bushels. — .
2 more examples
Seven pounds make a clove, 2 cloves a stone, 2 stone a tod, 6 1/2 tods a wey, 2 weys a sack, 12 sacks a last. [...] It is to be observed here that a sack is 13 tods, and a tod 28 pounds, so that the sack is 364 pounds.
1843, The Penny Cyclopaedia of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge, volume 27, page 202Generally, however, the stone or petra, almost always of 14 lbs., is used, the tod of 28 lbs., and the sack of thirteen stone.
1882, James Edwin Thorold Rogers, A History of Agriculture and Prices in England, volume 4, page 209 - American footballA successful tackle of the quarterback behind the line of scrimmage.
- ball gamesOne of the square bases anchored at first base, second base, or third base.
He twisted his ankle sliding into the sack at second.
- informalDismissal from employment, or discharge from a position.
get the sack
4 more examples
give (someone) the sack
The boss is gonna give her the sack today.
He got the sack for being late all the time.
A climate researcher has been threatened with the sack by his employer after refusing to fly back to Germany at short notice after finishing fieldwork on Bougainville in the Solomon Islands archipelago.
2023 October 4, Damien Gayle, Ajit Niranjan, “Climate scientist faces sack for refusing to fly to Germany from Solomon Islands archipelago”, in The Guardian, →ISSNSynonyms: the axe
- datedA kind of loose-fitting gown or dress with sleeves which hangs from the shoulders, such as a gown with a Watteau back or sack-back, fashionable in the late 17th to 18th century; or, formerly, a loose-fitting hip-length jacket, cloak or cape.
This lady's interesting figure, on her wedding-day, was attired in a sacque and petticoat of the most expensive brocaded white silk, resembling net-work, enriched with small flowers […].
1828, JT Smith, Nollekens and His Times, Century Hutchinson, published 1986, page 132 more examples
Molly, therefore, having dressed herself out in this sack, with a new laced cap, and some other ornaments which Tom had given her, repairs to church with her fan in her hand the very next Sunday.
1749, Henry Fielding, chapter VII, in The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, volume (please specify |volume=I to VI), London: A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC, book IVHer Dress, too, was of the same cast, a thin muslin short sacque and Coat lined throughout with Pink, – a modesty bit – and something of a very short cloak half concealed about half of her old wrinkled Neck […].
1780, Frances Burney, Journals & Letters, Penguin, published 2001, page 151 - datedA sack coat; a kind of coat worn by men, and extending from top to bottom without a cross seam.
- Any disposable bag.
present singular third person sacks · participle present sacking · participle past sacked · past sacked
- transitiveTo put in a sack or sacks.
Help me sack the groceries.
2 more examples
The gold was sacked in moose-hide bags, fifty pounds to the bag, and piled like so much firewood outside the spruce-bough lodge.
1903 July, Jack London, “The Sounding of the Call”, in The Call of the Wild, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., →OCLC, page 197A girl porter sacking some of the many thousands of used railway tickets which are turned over by the London Passenger Transport Board to assist the waste paper salvage campaign
1942 May-June, “Notes and News”, in Railway Magazine, page 187, photo caption - transitiveTo bear or carry in a sack upon the back or the shoulders.
- transitiveTo plunder or pillage, especially after capture; to obtain spoils of war from.
My sister wants to sack Tokyo.
3 more examples
The barbarians sacked Rome in 410 CE.
Thoſe thouſand horſe shall ſweat with martiall ſpoyle Of conquered kingdomes, and of Cities ſackt, […]
c. 1587–1588 (date written), [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire; London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act I, scene iiIt [a lyre] was part of the spoils which he had taken when he sacked the city of Eetion […]
1898, Homer, translated by Samuel Butler, The Iliad, Book IX - transitiveAmerican footballTo tackle the quarterback behind the line of scrimmage, especially before he is able to throw a pass.
On third down, the rejuvenated Rickey Jackson stormed in over All-Pro left tackle Richmond Webb to sack Marino yet again for a 2-yard loss.
1995, John Crumpacker and Gwen Knapp, "Sack-happy defensive line stuns Dolphins", SFGate.com, November 21 - informaltransitiveTo discharge from a job or position; to fire.
He was sacked last September.
4 more examples
[…] Boris Berezovsky on Friday dismissed President Boris Yeltsin's move to sack him from his post as executive secretary of the Commonwealth of Independent States, […]
1999 March 5, “Russian media mogul dismisses Yeltsin's bid to sack him”, in CNN.comWaste my time working for cowards and creeps / Oh I wish that they'd sack me and leave me to sleep
2008, “I Wish That They'd Sack Me”, in The Boy Bands Have Won, performed by ChumbawambaAs an aside, Luddendenfoot once had a famous (or perhaps infamous) clerk - drunkard Branwell Brontë, brother to the famous Brontë sisters and writers. He was sacked from his post in March 1842 after an audit revealed a discrepancy in the books. Today, a blue plaque on the Jubilee Refreshment rooms at Sowerby Bridge station commemorates him.
2021 July 28, Paul Bigland, “Calder line captures picturesque Pennines”, in RAIL, number 936, page 66A group of St Petersburg local politicians who called for President Vladimir Putin to be sacked over the war in Ukraine faces the likely dissolution of their district council following a judge's ruling on Tuesday, one of the deputies said.
2022 September 13, Mark Trevelyan, Filipp Lebedev, “Russian council faces dissolution after call for Putin's removal”, in Bill Berkrot, editor, Reuters, archived from the original on 13 Sep 2022, EuropeSynonyms: axe, can, decruit, dehire, discard, remove, discharge, dismiss
- AustraliaslangtransitiveTo give up on, to abandon, delay, to not think about someone or something.
Sack the homework.
1 more example
Sack him, let's run.
sack2
plural sacks
- countabledateduncountableA variety of light-colored dry wine from Spain or the Canary Islands; also, any strong white wine from southern Europe; sherry.
Giue me a Cup of Sacke, Rogue. Is there no Vertue extant?
c. 1597 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Fourth, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene iv], page 56, column 24 more examples
Wilt pleaſe your Lord drink a cup of ſacke? […] I am Christophero Sly, call not mee Honour nor Lordship: I ne're drank ſacke in my life: […]
c. 1590–1592 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Taming of the Shrew”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene i], page 209, column 1How cam'ſt thou hither? / Sweare by this Bottle how thou cam'ſt hither: I eſcap'd / vpon a But of Sacke, which the Saylors heaued o'reboord, by this Bottle which I made of the barke of a Tree, with mine owne hands, since I was caſt a'ſhore.
1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene ii], page 10, column 1The vesper bell had rung its parting note; the domini were mostly caged in comfortable quarters, discussing the merits of old port; and the merry student had closed his oak, to consecrate the night to friendship, sack, and claret.
1848 January, Charles M. Westmacott, “The Stage of Life”, in The Sporting Review, volume 15, page 23"He's got a venison pastry and a flagon of sack in that cupboard behind him."
1936, Norman Lindsay, The Flyaway Highway, Sydney: Angus and Robertson, page 35
sack3
plural sacks
- datedDated form of sac (“pouch in a plant or animal”).
Sometimes fishes are born that have rudimentary yolk sacks. Such young are born prematurely.
1938, The Microscope, volumes 1-2, page 56
sack4
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA bag; especially a large bag of strong, coarse material for storage and handling of various commodities, such as potatoes, coal, coffee; or, a bag with handles used at a supermarket, a grocery sack; or, a small bag for small items, a satchel.
nounLoot or booty obtained by pillage.
nounDismissal from employment, or discharge from a position.
nounBed.
nounThe scrotum.
verbTo plunder or pillage, especially after capture; to obtain spoils of war from.
verbTo discharge from a job or position; to fire.
verbTo give up on, to abandon, delay, to not think about someone or something.
More synonyms by meaning
nouna bag made of paper or plastic for holding customer's purchases
nouna hanging bed of canvas or rope netting (usually suspended between two trees); swings easily
nouna loose-fitting dress hanging straight from the shoulders without a waist
nounthe termination of someone's employment (leaving them free to depart)
verbterminate the employment of; discharge from an office or position
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
sack · noun, verb
- Italiansacco“plunder”
- Middle Frenchsac
- Semitic
- Ancient Greekσάκκος“bag of coarse cloth”
- Latinsaccus“large bag”
- Proto-Germanic*sakkuz“sack”
- Proto-West Germanic*sakku
- Old Englishsacc“sack, bag”
- Middle Englishsak
- Englishsack
From Middle English sak, sek, sach, zech (“bag, sackcloth”), from Old English sacc (“sack, bag”) and sæċċ (“sackcloth, sacking”); both from Proto-West Germanic *sakku, from late Proto-Germanic *sakkuz (“sack”), borrowed from Latin saccus (“large bag”), from Ancient Greek σάκκος (sákkos, “bag of coarse cloth”), from Semitic, possibly Phoenician or Hebrew. Cognate with Dutch zak, German Sack, Swedish säck, Danish sæk, Norwegian Bokmål and Norwegian Nynorsk sekk, Faroese and Icelandic sekkur, Hebrew שַׂק (śaq, “sack, sackcloth”), Aramaic סַקָּא, Classical Syriac ܣܩܐ, Ge'ez ሠቅ (śäḳ), Akkadian 𒆭𒊓 (saqqu), Egyptian sꜣgꜣ. Doublet of sac, saccus, saco, and sakkos. Černý and Forbes suggest the word was originally Egyptian, a nominal derivative of sꜣq (“to gather or put together”) that also yielded Coptic ⲥⲟⲕ (sok, “sackcloth”) and was borrowed into Greek perhaps by way of a Semitic intermediary. However, Vycichl and Hoch reject this idea, noting that such an originally Egyptian word would be expected to yield Hebrew *סַק rather than שַׂק. Instead, they posit that the Coptic and Greek words are both borrowed from Semitic, with the Coptic word perhaps developing via Egyptian sꜣgꜣ. Sense evolution * “Pillage” senses from the use of sacks in carrying off plunder. From Middle French sac, shortened from the phrase mettre à sac (“put it in a bag”), a military command to pillage; also parallel meaning with Italian sacco (“plunder”), from Medieval Latin saccō (“pillage”). From Vulgar Latin saccare (“to plunder”), from saccus (“sack”). See also ransack. American football “tackle” sense from this “plunder, conquer” root. * “Removal from employment” senses attested since 1825; the original formula was “to give (someone) the sack”, likely from the notion of a worker going off with his tools in a sack, or being given such a sack for his personal belongings as part of an expedient severance. Idiom exists earlier in French (on luy a donné son sac, 17c.) and Middle Dutch (iemand den zak geven). English verb in this sense recorded from 1841. Current verb, to sack (“to fire”) carries influence from the forceful nature of “plunder, tackle” verb senses. * Slang meaning “bunk, bed” is attested since 1825, originally nautical, likely in reference to sleeping bags. The verb meaning “go to bed” is recorded from 1946. * Slang meaning "scrotum" is an ellipsis of ballsack.
More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans sak
- sakbag for commodities or items
Ancient Greek θύλακος, σάκκος
- θύλακος (thúlakos)bag for commodities or items
- σάκκος (sákkos)bag for commodities or items
- σάκτας (sáktas)bag for commodities or items
- πόρθησις (pórthēsis)the plunder and pillaging of a city
- πορθέω (porthéō)to plunder
Arabic كِيس
- كِيس (kīs)bag for commodities or items
Bengali ছালা, বস্তা
- ছালা (chala)bag for commodities or items
- বস্তা (bosta)bag for commodities or items
Bulgarian чува́л, разграбване
- чува́л (čuvál)bag for commodities or items
- разграбване (razgrabvane)the plunder and pillaging of a city
- плячка (pljačka)booty obtained by pillage
- уволнение (uvolnenie)informal: dismissal from employment
- постеля (postelja)colloquial: bed
- грабя (grabja)to plunder
- разграбвам (razgrabvam)to plunder
- уволнявам (uvolnjavam)informal: to remove from a job or position — see also fire
Catalan sac, saqueig
- sacbag for commodities or items
- saqueigthe plunder and pillaging of a city
- botíbooty obtained by pillage
- ensacarto put in a sack or sacks
- acomiadarinformal: to remove from a job or position — see also fire
- destituirinformal: to remove from a job or position — see also fire
- despedirinformal: to remove from a job or position — see also fire
Chinese Mandarin 袋, 囊
- 袋 (dài)bag for commodities or items
- 囊 (náng)bag for commodities or items
- 包 (bāo)bag for commodities or items
- 洗劫 (xǐjié)the plunder and pillaging of a city
- 劫掠 (jiélüè)the plunder and pillaging of a city
Czech pytel
- pytelbag for commodities or items
Danish sæk, pose
- sækbag for commodities or items
- posebag for commodities or items
- sækfuldamount that can be put in a sack; traditional units based on this amount
- posefuldamount that can be put in a sack; traditional units based on this amount
- byttebooty obtained by pillage
- udbyttebooty obtained by pillage
- afskedigelseinformal: dismissal from employment
- fyringinformal: dismissal from employment
- plyndreto plunder
- ribbeto plunder
- fyreinformal: to remove from a job or position — see also fire
- afskedigeinformal: to remove from a job or position — see also fire
- opsigeinformal: to remove from a job or position — see also fire
Dutch zak, plundering
- zakbag for commodities or items
- plunderingthe plunder and pillaging of a city
- plunderthe plunder and pillaging of a city
- zakinformal: dismissal from employment
- nestcolloquial: bed
- plunderento plunder
- de zak geveninformal: to remove from a job or position — see also fire
Esperanto sako
- sakobag for commodities or items
Estonian kott
- kottbag for commodities or items
Finnish säkki, säkillinen
- säkkibag for commodities or items
- säkillinenamount that can be put in a sack; traditional units based on this amount
- ryöstöthe plunder and pillaging of a city
- saalisbooty obtained by pillage
- ryöstösaalisbooty obtained by pillage
- potkutinformal: dismissal from employment
- pehkutcolloquial: bed
- munatslang: scrotum
- pussitslang: scrotum
- ryöstääto plunder
- antaa potkutinformal: to remove from a job or position — see also fire
French sac, sac
- sacbag for commodities or items
- sacthe plunder and pillaging of a city
- butinbooty obtained by pillage
- paquetinformal: dismissal from employment
- litcolloquial: bed
- pieucolloquial: bed
- saccagerto plunder
- virerinformal: to remove from a job or position — see also fire
- saquerinformal: to remove from a job or position — see also fire
German Sack, Papiersack
- Sackbag for commodities or items
- Papiersackbag for commodities or items
- Beutelbag for commodities or items
- Tütebag for commodities or items
- Sack vollamount that can be put in a sack; traditional units based on this amount
- Sackvollamount that can be put in a sack; traditional units based on this amount
- Plünderungthe plunder and pillaging of a city
- Sacksuccessful tackle of the quarterback
- Sackslang: scrotum
- plündernto plunder
- feuerninformal: to remove from a job or position — see also fire
- entlasseninformal: to remove from a job or position — see also fire
- rausschmeißeninformal: to remove from a job or position — see also fire
Greek σάκκος, σακί
- σάκκος (sákkos)bag for commodities or items
- σακί (sakí)bag for commodities or items
- τσουβάλι (tsouváli)bag for commodities or items
- σακούλα (sakoúla)bag for commodities or items
- σακί (sakí)amount that can be put in a sack; traditional units based on this amount
- τσουβάλι (tsouváli)amount that can be put in a sack; traditional units based on this amount
- λεηλασία (leïlasía)the plunder and pillaging of a city
- κούρσεμα (koúrsema)the plunder and pillaging of a city
- διαγούμισμα (diagoúmisma)the plunder and pillaging of a city
- λάφυρα (láfyra)booty obtained by pillage
- απόλυση (apólysi)informal: dismissal from employment
- λεηλατώ (leïlató)to plunder
- κουρσεύω (koursévo)to plunder
- διαγουμίζω (diagoumízo)to plunder
- απολύω (apolýo)informal: to remove from a job or position — see also fire
Hebrew שַׂק, אַמְתַּחַת
- שַׂק (sak)bag for commodities or items
- אַמְתַּחַת (amtakhát)bag for commodities or items
Hindi बोरा, बोरी
- बोरा (borā)bag for commodities or items
- बोरी (borī)bag for commodities or items
- थैला (thailā)bag for commodities or items
- थैली (thailī)bag for commodities or items
Hungarian zsák, fosztogatás
- zsákbag for commodities or items
- fosztogatásthe plunder and pillaging of a city
Icelandic sekkur, poki
- sekkurbag for commodities or items
- pokibag for commodities or items
- posibag for commodities or items
Indonesian karung
- karungbag for commodities or items
Irish sac, creach
- sacbag for commodities or items
- creachto plunder
Italian sacco, sacco
- saccobag for commodities or items
- saccothe plunder and pillaging of a city
- saccheggiothe plunder and pillaging of a city
- bottinobooty obtained by pillage
- benservitoinformal: dismissal from employment
- scrotoslang: scrotum
- saccheggiareto plunder
- predareto plunder
- fare man bassato plunder
Japanese 袋, サック
- 袋 (fukuro)bag for commodities or items
- サック (sakku)bag for commodities or items
Korean 자루
- 자루 (jaru)bag for commodities or items
Latin saccus, culeus
- saccusbag for commodities or items
- culeusbag for commodities or items
- follisbag for commodities or items
Latvian maiss, maiss
- maissbag for commodities or items
- maissamount that can be put in a sack; traditional units based on this amount
Lithuanian maišas
- maišasbag for commodities or items
Malay guni, karung
- gunibag for commodities or items
- karungbag for commodities or items
Māori pēke, taeatanga
- pēkebag for commodities or items
- taeatangathe plunder and pillaging of a city
- paraketebooty obtained by pillage
- panainformal: dismissal from employment
- panangainformal: dismissal from employment
- romito plunder
- mūreito plunder
- pāhuato plunder
- pāhuahuato plunder
- tāoroto plunder
- panainformal: to remove from a job or position — see also fire
Norwegian sparken, plyndre
- sparkeninformal: dismissal from employment
- plyndreto plunder
Norwegian Bokmål sekk, pose
- sekkbag for commodities or items
- posebag for commodities or items
Persian کیسه, گونی
- کیسه (kise)bag for commodities or items
- گونی (guni)bag for commodities or items
- ساک (sâk)bag for commodities or items
Polish worek
- worekbag for commodities or items
Portuguese saco, saca
- sacobag for commodities or items
- sacabag for commodities or items
- saquethe plunder and pillaging of a city
- despedidoinformal: dismissal from employment
- sacoslang: scrotum
- ensacarto put in a sack or sacks
Romanian sac, prăda
- sacbag for commodities or items
- prădato plunder
Russian мешо́к, куль
- мешо́к (mešók)bag for commodities or items
- куль (kulʹ)bag for commodities or items
- мешо́к (mešók)amount that can be put in a sack; traditional units based on this amount
- разграбле́ние (razgrablénije)the plunder and pillaging of a city
- грабёж (grabjóž)the plunder and pillaging of a city
- награ́бленное (nagráblennoje)booty obtained by pillage
- добы́ча (dobýča)booty obtained by pillage
- увольне́ние (uvolʹnénije)informal: dismissal from employment
- посте́ль (postélʹ)colloquial: bed
- мудо́ (mudó)slang: scrotum
- мошо́нка (mošónka)slang: scrotum
- увольня́ть (uvolʹnjátʹ)informal: to remove from a job or position — see also fire
- уво́лить (uvólitʹ)informal: to remove from a job or position — see also fire
Scottish Gaelic poca, baga
- pocabag for commodities or items
- bagabag for commodities or items
- màileidbag for commodities or items
- pocaamount that can be put in a sack; traditional units based on this amount
- bagaamount that can be put in a sack; traditional units based on this amount
- màileidamount that can be put in a sack; traditional units based on this amount
Slovak vrece
- vrecebag for commodities or items
Spanish saco, costal
- sacobag for commodities or items
- costalbag for commodities or items
- chácarabag for commodities or items
- shicrabag for commodities or items
- shigrabag for commodities or items
- bayónbag for commodities or items
- sacoamount that can be put in a sack; traditional units based on this amount
- costalamount that can be put in a sack; traditional units based on this amount
- saqueothe plunder and pillaging of a city
- ensacarto put in a sack or sacks
- saquearto plunder
- correrinformal: to remove from a job or position — see also fire
- despedirinformal: to remove from a job or position — see also fire
Swahili gunia
- guniabag for commodities or items
Swedish säck, säckfull
- säckbag for commodities or items
- säckfullamount that can be put in a sack; traditional units based on this amount
- plundringthe plunder and pillaging of a city
- sparkeninformal: dismissal from employment
Thai ถุง
- ถุง (tǔng)bag for commodities or items
Turkish çuval, yağmalamak
- çuvalbag for commodities or items
- yağmalamakto plunder
- sepetlemekinformal: to remove from a job or position — see also fire
Ukrainian мішо́к, мішо́к
- мішо́к (mišók)bag for commodities or items
- мішо́к (mišók)amount that can be put in a sack; traditional units based on this amount
Urdu بورا, بوری
- بورا (borā)bag for commodities or items
- بوری (borī)bag for commodities or items
Vietnamese bao, bao tải
- baobag for commodities or items
- bao tảibag for commodities or items
Yiddish זאַק
- זאַק (zak)bag for commodities or items
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with sack
Sounds the same
Anagrams
Cite this entry
sack. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sack
“sack.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sack. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sack,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sack.
Source: sack on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.