What does sack mean?
“Sack” is a versatile English word with several established meanings. Most commonly as a noun, it means a large bag, often made from coarse cloth and used for grain, flour, or other materials. It can also refer to the dismissal of an employee, especially in the informal phrase “get the sack,” and, historically, to a coarse fabric used for making garments and bags. As a verb, “to sack” can mean to dismiss someone abruptly or to plunder a captured city or settlement. The word has a long history, deriving from Old English and ultimately from Latin and Greek words for a bag. Its different meanings are connected by the practical image of a bag and by the older sense of removing or emptying its contents.
A large bag, especially one made of strong cloth and used for holding grain, flour, or other goods; also, an unceremonious dismissal from employment or a coarse fabric.
"A sack of flour was left outside the bakery."
The sense for dismissal is informal and is especially common in the expression “get the sack.” The fabric sense is now less common than the container sense.
To dismiss someone from employment or a position; historically or in military contexts, to plunder and destroy a captured place.
"The manager decided to sack the employee after the investigation."
The dismissal sense is informal. The plunder sense is chiefly historical or military and is more common in accounts of warfare than in ordinary contemporary speech.
The plural is regular: one sack, two sacks.
"Workers carried several sacks of grain into the warehouse."
The phrase “get the sack” comes from an old British idiom: an employee received a sack and everything in it when dismissed.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does sack come from?
The word comes from Old English sacc, borrowed from Latin saccus, a bag, which in turn was borrowed from Greek sákkos. French sac also contributed to the English form. The related English word satchel developed through Old French and ultimately traces back to the same Latin word for a bag.
Related word forms
How sack is actually used
As a verb meaning dismissal, “sack” is informal and often implies a sudden or unceremonious removal. The plunder sense is chiefly historical or military and may sound deliberately severe in modern use.