sack

1 of 5

noun (1)

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
4
: dismissal
gave him the sack
5
a
b
: bed
6
: a base in baseball
7
: an instance of sacking the quarterback in football
sackful 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
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
Williams was sacked on the next play and that’s when things went haywire. Brad Biggs, Chicago Tribune, 29 Nov. 2024 Dallas pulled away in the second half, starting with an Eric Kendricks sack on the Giants’ opening possession that forced Lock to lose a fumble. Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 29 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

Dictionary Entries Near sack

Cite this Entry

“Sack.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sack. Accessed 4 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

sack

1 of 5 noun
1
: a flexible container (as of paper) : bag
2
3
: discharge from employment
usually used with get or give
4
sacklike
-ˌlīk
adjective

sack

2 of 5 verb
1
: to put in a sack
2

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

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

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