sack

verb

/sæk/

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they sack	/sæk/ /sæk/
he / she / it sacks	/sæks/ /sæks/
past simple sacked	/sækt/ /sækt/
past participle sacked	/sækt/ /sækt/
-ing form sacking	/ˈsækɪŋ/ /ˈsækɪŋ/

Phrasal Verbs

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sack somebody (especially British English, informal) to dismiss somebody from a job synonym fire
- She was sacked for refusing to work on Sundays.
Collocations Unemployment
UnemploymentLosing your job
- lose your job
- (British English) become/be made redundant
- be offered/take voluntary redundancy/early retirement
- face/be threatened with dismissal/(British English) the sack/(British English) compulsory redundancy
- dismiss/fire/ (especially British English) sack an employee/a worker/a manager
- lay off staff/workers/employees
- (Australian English, New Zealand English, South African English) retrench workers
- cut/reduce/downsize/slash the workforce
- (British English) make staff/workers/employees redundant
Being unemployed
- be unemployed/out of work/out of a job
- seek/look for work/employment
- be on/collect/draw/get/receive (both British English) unemployment benefit/jobseeker’s allowance
- be/go/live/sign (British English, informal) on the dole
- claim/draw/get (British English, informal) the dole
- be on/qualify for (North American English) unemployment (compensation)
- be/go/live/depend (North American English) on welfare
- collect/receive (North American English) welfare
- combat/tackle/cut/reduce unemployment
Topics Social issuesc1
sack something (of an army, etc., especially in the past) to destroy things and steal property in a town or building
- Rome was sacked by the Goths in 410.
- The army rebelled and sacked the palace.
sack somebody (in American football) to knock down the quarterback
- The quarterback was sacked on the 45 yard line, and it was first down for the other team.
Topics Sports: ball and racket sportsc2

Word Originverb sense 1 and verb sense 3 Old English sacc, from Latin saccus ‘sack, sackcloth’, from Greek sakkos, of Semitic origin. Sense 1 of the verb dates from the mid 19th cent. verb sense 2 mid 16th cent.: from French sac, in the phrase mettre à sac ‘put to sack’, on the model of Italian fare il sacco, mettere a sacco, which perhaps originally referred to filling a sack with plunder.

sack

noun

/sæk/

Idioms

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[countable] a large bag with no handles, made of strong rough material or strong paper or plastic, used for storing and carrying, for example flour, coal, etc.
- They filled the sacks with potatoes.
- bulging sacks of toys
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- bulging
- heavy
- burlap
- …
verb + sack
- empty
- fill
- carry
- …
sack + verb
- be filled with something
- be full of something
sack + noun
- lunch
- race
preposition
- in a/the sack
- sack of
See full entry
[countable] (North American English) a strong paper bag for carrying shopping
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- bulging
- heavy
- burlap
- …
verb + sack
- empty
- fill
- carry
- …
sack + verb
- be filled with something
- be full of something
sack + noun
- lunch
- race
preposition
- in a/the sack
- sack of
See full entry
[countable] the contents of a sack
- They got through a sack of potatoes.
- (North American English) two sacks of groceries
- a sack of coal
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- bulging
- heavy
- burlap
- …
verb + sack
- empty
- fill
- carry
- …
sack + verb
- be filled with something
- be full of something
sack + noun
- lunch
- race
preposition
- in a/the sack
- sack of
See full entry
the sack
[singular] (British English, informal) being told by your employer that you can no longer continue working for a company, etc., usually because of something that you have done wrong
- He got the sack for swearing.
- Her work was so poor that she was given the sack.
- Four hundred workers face the sack.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
verb + the sack
- get
- give somebody
- be threatened with
- …
See full entry
the sack
[singular] (especially North American English, informal) a bed
- He caught them in the sack together.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
verb + the sack
- hit
preposition
- in the sack
See full entry
(usually the sack)
[singular] (formal) the act of stealing or destroying property in a captured town
- the sack of Rome

Word Originnoun senses 1 to 5 Old English sacc, from Latin saccus ‘sack, sackcloth’, from Greek sakkos, of Semitic origin. noun sense 6 mid 16th cent.: from French sac, in the phrase mettre à sac ‘put to sack’, on the model of Italian fare il sacco, mettere a sacco, which perhaps originally referred to filling a sack with plunder.

Idioms

hit the hay/sack

(informal) to go to bed
- I decided to hit the sack and have an early night.