English Meaning & Definitions
A large bag made of coarse material such as burlap, heavy paper, or plastic, used for storing and carrying goods.
- “He loaded the heavy potatoes into a large burlap sack.”
- “She carried her groceries home in a paper sack.”
To dismiss someone from employment; to fire.
- “Management decided to sack the lazy employees.”
- “He was sacked after only two weeks on the job.”
To plunder and pillage a captured town or city.
- “The invading army threatened to sack the ancient city.”
- “Treasures were looted when mercenaries sacked the capital.”
In American football, a play in which the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage before throwing a pass.
- “The star linebacker recorded three sacks in the first half.”
- “A crucial sack on third down forced the opposing team to punt.”
Comprehensive Thesaurus Breakdown
Compare formal, informal, literary synonyms and register nuances for “sack”.
Derived from Old English 'sacc', of Semitic origin (compare Hebrew 'śaq' meaning sackcloth or bag), spreading widely through early Germanic and Romance languages. The verb meaning to plunder or pillage comes from an entirely different French source: 'mettre à sac' (to put in a bag for plunder), from 'sac' (plunderer's bag).
Picture a giant burlap SACK used to carry potatoes to easily remember the primary noun.
Frequently Asked Questions About “sack”
1. What is the meaning of “sack” in English?
In English, sack (noun) is defined as: “A large bag made of coarse material such as burlap, heavy paper, or plastic, used for storing and carrying goods.”.
2. How do you use “sack” in a sentence?
“He loaded the heavy potatoes into a large burlap sack.”
4. What is the etymology and word origin of “sack”?
Derived from Old English 'sacc', of Semitic origin (compare Hebrew 'śaq' meaning sackcloth or bag), spreading widely through early Germanic and Romance languages. The verb meaning to plunder or pillage comes from an entirely different French source: 'mettre à sac' (to put in a bag for plunder), from 'sac' (plunderer's bag).
🇬🇧More English Words to English
View all English words →A measurement of time indicating an instantaneous occurrence or a state where no time has elapsed.
The base unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), equal to the duration of 9,192,631,770 periods of the radiation corresponding to the transition between the two hyperfine levels of the ground state of the caesium-133 atom.
A specific duration of time equal to one hour and forty-six minutes and twelve seconds.
The cardinal number equal to one thousand million (1,000,000,000), expressed in scientific notation as 10^9.