sack

1 of 5

noun (1)

ˈsak How to pronounce sack (audio)
Synonyms of sacknext
1
: a usually rectangular-shaped bag (as of paper, burlap, or canvas)
2
: the amount contained in a sack
especially : a fixed amount of a commodity used as a unit of measure
3
a
: a woman's loose-fitting dress
b
: a short usually loose-fitting coat for women and children
c
: sacque sense 2
4
: dismissal
gave him the sack
5
a
: hammock, bunk
b
: bed
6
: a base in baseball
7
: an instance of sacking the quarterback in football
sackful
ˈsak-ˌfu̇l How to pronounce sack (audio)
noun

sack

2 of 5

verb (1)

sacked; sacking; sacks

transitive verb

1
: to put in or as if in a sack
2
: to dismiss especially summarily
3
: to tackle (the quarterback) behind the line of scrimmage in football

sack

3 of 5

noun (2)

: any of several white wines imported to England from Spain and the Canary Islands during the 16th and 17th centuries

sack

4 of 5

verb (2)

sacked; sacking; sacks

transitive verb

1
: to plunder (a place, such as a town) especially after capture
2
: to strip of valuables : loot

sack

5 of 5

noun (3)

: the plundering of a captured town

Synonyms

Noun (1)

Verb (1)

Verb (2)

See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus 
Choose the Right Synonym for sack

ravage, devastate, waste, sack, pillage, despoil mean to lay waste by plundering or destroying.

ravage implies violent often cumulative depredation and destruction.

a hurricane ravaged the coast

devastate implies the complete ruin and desolation of a wide area.

an earthquake devastated the city

waste may imply producing the same result by a slow process rather than sudden and violent action.

years of drought had wasted the area

sack implies carrying off all valuable possessions from a place.

barbarians sacked ancient Rome

pillage implies ruthless plundering at will but without the completeness suggested by sack.

settlements pillaged by Vikings

despoil applies to looting or robbing without suggesting accompanying destruction.

the Nazis despoiled the art museums

Examples of sack in a Sentence

Noun (1) asked the bagger to put all the loaves of bread in the same sack I think I'm ready to hit the sack Verb (1) he was sacked for showing up late once too often Verb (2) thieves sacked the house in search of the diamond necklace
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Verb
The Rams sacked him seven times in their overtime win last Sunday. —Cam Inman, The Mercury News, 16 Nov. 2024 The Titans’ best chance to score was snuffed out near the end of the first half when Mountain View’s Kaitlyn Liddle roared in to sack sophomore quarterback Kelsey Peterson. —Patrick Saunders, The Denver Post, 2 Nov. 2024
Noun
The Jets’ front four of Mark Gastineau, Joe Klecko, Marty Lyons and Abdul Salaam — all of whom the team drafted during the 1970s — led the league with 66 quarterback sacks and became stars. —Erik Pedersen, Deadline, 20 Nov. 2024 Tuipulotu had a team-leading 5.5 sacks and Mack had 4.5 going into Sunday. —Elliott Teaford, Orange County Register, 17 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for sack 

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English sak bag, sackcloth, from Old English sacc, from Latin saccus bag & Late Latin saccus sackcloth, both from Greek sakkos bag, sackcloth, of Semitic origin; akin to Hebrew śaq bag, sackcloth

Noun (2)

modification of Middle French sec dry, from Latin siccus; probably akin to Old High German sīhan to filter, Sanskrit siñcati he pours

Noun (3) and Verb (2)

Middle French sac, from Old Italian sacco, literally, bag, from Latin saccus

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

circa 1532, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

circa 1547, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (3)

1549, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of sack was before the 12th century

Phrases Containing sack

Dictionary Entries Near sack

Sachs

sack

sackage

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Sack.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sack. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.

Copy Citation

Share

Kids Definition

sack

1 of 5 noun
ˈsak How to pronounce sack (audio)
1
: a flexible container (as of paper) : bag
2
: sackful
3
: discharge from employment
—usually used with get or give
4
: bunk entry 1 sense 3, bed
sacklike
-ˌlīk
adjective

sack

2 of 5 verb
1
: to put in a sack
2
: dismiss sense 2, fire

sack

3 of 5 noun
: any of several white wines imported to England from Spain and the Canary Islands in the 16th and 17th centuries

sack

4 of 5 verb
1
: to loot after capture
2
: pillage entry 2, loot

sack

5 of 5 noun
: the looting of a captured town
Etymology

Noun

Middle English sak "bag, sackcloth," from early French sacc (same meaning), from Latin saccus "bag" and later Latin saccus "sackcloth," both from Greek sakkos "bag, sackcloth" — related to sack entry 4

Noun

from early French sec "dry to the taste, not sweet," from Latin siccus (same meaning)

Verb

from English sack "the action of looting," from early French sac (same meaning), from early Italian sacco, literally, "a bag," from Latin saccus "bag" — related to sack entry 1

More from Merriam-Webster on sack

Nglish: Translation of sack for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of sack for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about sack

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Plural and Possessive Names: A Guide

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)

9 Superb Owl Words

15 Words That Used to Mean Something Different
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
little chihuahua dressing like a turkey for thanksgiving
Is That Gratitude or Attitude? A Thanksgiving Quiz Decide which words express gratitude and which gi...