# sacked

/ˈsækt/ (US) · /sˈækt/ (UK)

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

## Senses

### 1. fired from a job

verb · CEFR B2 · British English · Informal

to be told by your employer that you no longer have a job, usually because you did something wrong.

For teachers: to be dismissed from employment, typically due to poor performance or misconduct. This usage is transitive and common in British English.

- He was sacked for arriving late to work three days in a row.
- The manager was summarily sacked after the internal audit revealed a significant discrepancy in the quarterly accounts.

Usage: Often used in the passive voice: 'to be sacked'.

### 2. plundered a city

verb · CEFR C1 · Literary

to attack a town or city during a war and steal everything valuable.

For teachers: to plunder or pillage a captured town or city, typically involving widespread theft and destruction by a victorious army.

- The ancient city was sacked by the invading army and left in ruins.
- Historical records suggest the capital was sacked with such ferocity that it took nearly a century for the population to return to its former levels.

### 3. dismissed from work

adjective · CEFR B2 · British English · Informal

describing someone who has lost their job.

For teachers: functioning as a predicative adjective to describe the state of being unemployed following a dismissal.

- Now that he is sacked, he has to find a new way to pay his rent.
- The sacked workers gathered outside the factory gates to protest the sudden closure of the plant without severance pay.

## Examples

- He was sacked for being late to work every day.
- The manager warned the staff that anyone caught stealing from the till would be sacked immediately.
- After the financial scandal broke, the board of directors decided that the CEO should be sacked to restore public confidence in the firm's integrity.

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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.