sack

B2 · Upper Intermediate Uncountable noun Informal · British English

n. the act of being fired from a job.

n. the dismissal of an employee from their position, typically due to poor performance or misconduct.

“He got the sack after he was caught sleeping at his desk.”

“Following the merger, several senior managers were given the sack as the new board sought to reduce overhead costs.”

B1 · Intermediate Uncountable noun Informal · American English

n. a casual word for a bed.

n. a colloquial term for a bed, frequently used in the idiom 'hit the sack'.

“I am exhausted, so I think I will hit the sack early tonight.”

“After a grueling fourteen-hour shift at the hospital, the intern was desperate to hit the sack and sleep until noon.”

C1 · Advanced Uncountable noun Literary

n. the act of stealing everything valuable from a city after capturing it in a war.

n. the systematic plundering and destruction of a captured town or city by a victorious army.

“The sack of the city left thousands of people without homes or food.”

“Historians still debate the long-term cultural impact of the sack of Rome on the stability of the empire.”

B2 · Upper Intermediate Informal · British English

v. to tell someone they can no longer work at their job.

v. to dismiss an employee from their job or position of responsibility.

“The company decided to sack the manager for being rude to customers.”

“The board of directors voted to sack the CEO after the company's stock price plummeted for the third consecutive quarter.”

C1 · Advanced Literary

v. to attack a place and steal everything inside.

v. to pillage or loot a place, especially a city, after capturing it during a conflict.

“The invading army began to sack the village as soon as they arrived.”

“The Vikings were known to sack coastal monasteries, carrying away gold ornaments and sacred manuscripts.”

B2 · Upper Intermediate Sports American English

v. to knock down the quarterback in American football before they can throw the ball.

v. to tackle the quarterback behind the line of scrimmage before a forward pass is attempted.

“The defender managed to sack the quarterback for a ten-yard loss.”

“The defensive line successfully coordinated a blitz to sack the quarterback, forcing a fumble that changed the momentum of the game.”

C2 · Proficiency Countable noun Medicine Slang · Vulgar

n. a slang word for the skin that holds a man's testicles.

n. a slang term for the scrotum.

“He went to the doctor because he had a strange pain in his sack.”

“The patient complained of localized swelling in the sack, necessitating a referral to a urologist for further examination.”