# sacked out

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/sacked-out
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

Sound asleep, usually from a healthy exhaustion.

## Examples

- The tired dog is sacked out on the rug.
- My roommate is sacked out after working the night shift.
- The baby is finally sacked out in her crib.
- After hiking all day, the campers were sacked out in their tents before the sun even set.
- You will probably find the kids sacked out on the sofa after their long afternoon at the swimming pool.
- I was so tired from the flight that I stayed sacked out until noon the next day.
- The busy chef was sacked out in the breakroom for twenty minutes before the dinner rush started.
- Exhausted by the grueling demands of the marathon, the athletes remained sacked out in the locker room long after the race had concluded.

## Origin

An outgrowth of the earlier idiom *to hit the sack*, meaning to lie down to sleep. The term may have been influenced by other senses of *to sack*, such as to tackle or to pillage, as well as by *to sock*, meaning to hit or to slam. These associations provide an implication that sleep has been thrust upon a person, rather than sought.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.