ENGLISH
REFERENCE

sack

v.
C1 Advanced Oxford US //ˈsæk// UK //sˈæk// sack Archaic Informal Slang Vulgar

v. to fire someone from their job. You use this word when an employer tells a worker they can no longer work there, usually because of a mistake or to save money.

v. to dismiss an employee from their position of employment. Informal in register; typically used in British and Australian English.


SIMPLE

The company decided to sack him for being late every day.

CONTEXTUAL

After the store manager discovered the missing inventory, he had no choice but to sack the supervisor on duty.

COMPLEX

While the board of directors initially supported the CEO, they eventually chose to sack him following a series of disastrous financial reports that eroded shareholder confidence.

Synonyms
Antonyms
Usage

The verb is transitive and requires a direct object, usually the person being fired.

Pitfall

He was sacked from his job for his boss.He was sacked from his job by his boss.When using the passive voice, the person doing the firing is introduced with 'by', not 'for'.

Idioms4 entries

© 2026 English Reference