# sack

/ˈsæk/ (US) · /sˈæk/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/sack
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. a large bag

noun · CEFR A2

a large, strong bag used for carrying heavy things like potatoes, coal, or flour.

For teachers: a large container made of coarse, durable material such as burlap or thick paper, used for the transport of bulk commodities.

- The farmer carried a heavy sack of grain into the barn.
- The workers stacked dozens of burlap sacks filled with raw coffee beans onto the wooden pallets for export.

### 2. losing a job

noun · CEFR B2 · Informal · British English

the act of being fired from a job.

For teachers: 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.

### 3. bed

noun · CEFR B1 · Informal · American English

a casual word for a bed.

For teachers: 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.

### 4. stealing during war

noun · CEFR C1 · Literary

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

For teachers: 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.

### 5. to fire someone

verb · CEFR B2 · Informal · British English

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

For teachers: 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.

### 6. to plunder

verb · CEFR C1 · Literary

to attack a place and steal everything inside.

For teachers: 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.

### 7. to tackle a quarterback

verb · CEFR B2 · American English

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

For teachers: 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.

### 8. body part

noun · CEFR C2 · Slang · Vulgar

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

For teachers: 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.

## Examples

- The company decided to sack him for being late every day.
- After the store manager discovered the missing inventory, he had no choice but to sack the supervisor on duty.
- 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.

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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.