What does sacking mean?
Sacking most commonly means dismissal from employment, especially when the departure is sudden, unwelcome, or controversial. It is widely used in workplace, political, and news reporting, as in “the sacking of the chief executive.” The word has a vivid range of older meanings: it can refer to coarse sackcloth, to a sack or bag, and to the destructive plundering of a place. These senses share an association with putting something or someone into, or casting something out of, a sack. Although “sacking” is often more specific and formal than “dismissal,” it can emphasize the abruptness or contentiousness of the decision. In its material sense, sacking is a coarse, durable fabric traditionally used for making bags and packaging. The word is therefore especially useful for recognizing how one simple form can connect employment, textiles, storage, and plunder.
nounThe dismissal of someone from employment. The word can also denote coarse sackcloth, a sack or bag, or the act of plundering and destroying a place.
- Dismissal from employment, especially an abrupt or controversial dismissal.
- Coarse fabric or material used for making sacks.
- A sack or bag, especially in older or regional usage.
- The act of plundering, ransacking, or destructively attacking a place.
"The board faced criticism after the sudden sacking of its chief executive."
"Staff members were told that the sacking of the regional director had been decided without consultation."
"The old sacking was folded into a sturdy cover for the garden chair."
Usually uncountable; the plural “sackings” is used when referring to separate instances of dismissal.
"The two sackings prompted calls for stricter employment procedures."
Sacking can mean both putting someone out of a job and putting valuables into a sack—a linguistic double life in employment and plunder.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does sacking come from?
The word ultimately comes from Middle English “sack,” meaning a large bag, borrowed through Old French sac from Latin saccus. The employment sense developed through the idiom “give someone the sack,” with “sacking” denoting the resulting dismissal. The textile sense derives from “sackcloth,” coarse cloth originally used for making sacks, while the sense connected with plunder comes from the older verb meaning to search and empty a place forcibly.
How sacking is actually used
The employment sense is usually uncountable and may sound more formal or institutional than dismissal, while sudden or politically motivated dismissals can carry a strongly negative tone.
Easily confused with sacking
A sack is the bag itself or a dismissal, whereas sacking usually refers to the act of dismissing someone, coarse sackcloth, or the act of plundering a place.