sacking

1 of 3

noun (1)

sack·​ing ˈsa-kiŋ 

plural sackings

: an act of dismissal from employment or an office

Days before the sacking, the trio drew up a list of candidate-heirs.

—Andrew Meier

Is it any wonder that so many nanny jobs end in blowups and abrupt sackings?

—Caitlin Flanagan

sacking

2 of 3

noun (2)

plural sackings

: an act or action of plundering or vanquishing

the sacking of Rome

One society leader compared the sight to the sacking of Versailles.

—Louisa Thomas

sacking

3 of 3

noun (3)

: material for sacks

especially : a coarse fabric (such as burlap)

Examples of sacking in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Jackie Chan had made action movies about the theft of Chinese art works, and there were documentaries (and a Nollywood melodrama) about the British sacking of Benin City. —Julian Lucas, The New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2024

This is the latest headache for the BBC, following its abrupt sacking of The One Show presenter Jermaine Jenas, and dropping archive material featuring Huw Edwards, shamed former BBC news presenter, who helmed Coronation coverage and delivered the confirmation of the Queen’s death in 2022. —Caroline Frost, Deadline, 14 Sep. 2024

Just before his sacking, Berhalter’s squad lost to Uruguay in July during the Copa America. —Alex Tabet, NBC News, 14 Sep. 2024

Handelsblatt blamed his sacking on Wall Street’s penchant to outwardly admire contrarians for their strong convictions while simultaneously cultivating a repressive climate where swimming with the crowd is the safest bet for career advancement. —Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 14 Aug. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1906, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1553, in the meaning defined above

Noun (3)

1707, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

sacking

noun

sack·​ing ˈsak-iŋ 

: strong rough cloth from which sacks are made