sack
noun · verb
Simple meaning
A bag or pouch inside a plant or animal that usually contains a fluid.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
sakIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈsæk
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
A bag or pouch inside a plant or animal that typically contains a fluid.
A bag; especially a large bag of strong, coarse material for storage and handling of various commodities, such as potatoes, coal, coffee; or, a bag with handles used at a supermarket, a grocery sack; or, a small bag for small items, a satchel.
A bag made of paper or plastic for holding customer's purchases
uncountable
The plunder and pillaging of a captured town or city.
Midland US
Any disposable bag.
The amount a sack holds; also, an archaic or historical measure of varying capacity, depending on commodity type and according to local usage; an old English measure of weight, usually of wool, equal to 13 stone (182 pounds), or in other sources, 26 stone (364 pounds).
verb
Plunder (a town) after capture
To plunder or pillage, especially after capture; to obtain spoils of war from.
informaltransitive
To discharge from a job or position; to fire.
To sacrifice.
Australiaslangtransitive
To give up on, to abandon, delay, to not think about someone or something.
To put in a sack or sacks.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate (estimated)
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Formality
- Technical
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A bag or pouch inside a plant or animal that typically contains a fluid.
Used this way, sack is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Nearby words
- pocket , used mainly in Regional English
- sackful , rarer, so it draws attention
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use sack
- “The grocery store usually offers paper or plastic sack options.”noun
Share your sentence
Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
A novelty race in which competitors jump ahead with their feet confined in a sack.
Make as a net profit.
Prepare for sleep.
Man's hiplength coat with a straight back.
Terminate the employment of.
The person who plays first base.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: bag or pouch inside a plant
Ask Vocabaura
Understand the word your way.
What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Use it yourself
Keep learning “sack” by choosing the kind of practice you need next.
- Practice sentence writingWrite sentences with vocabulary and get instant feedback.
- Practice in contextAnswer short vocabulary questions drawn from real situations.
- Review vocabularyTest your recall and strengthen words over time.
- Practice typingType vocabulary in short rounds that draw from words you've learned and saved.
Want to type words like this one without looking at the keyboard? Each typing round draws from words you've learned, saved or need to review. Follow the free Learn to Type lessons and type your own vocabulary with confidence.
Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.