rhizoverbBeta
DictionarysackLooting a captured place
noun / verb

sack

The looting and destruction of a captured place.

The invading army sacks the city after breaking through its defenses.

Etymology
sackFrenchsack or plunder

The military use is associated with taking booty, traditionally carried off in sacks. It names the plundering and destruction of a captured place.

More examples

  • Much of the library was destroyed during the sack of the capital.
  • The troops sacked the town and carried away its treasures.
  • The general forbids his soldiers from sacking captured villages.

Forms

sack · sacks · sacked · sacking

looter noun — Someone who steals during war or public disorder.

Similar words

loot
Emphasizes stealing goods, without necessarily destroying or capturing a place.
pillage
Emphasizes violent robbery, especially by soldiers during war.
plunder
Emphasizes forcibly taking valuables rather than destroying a place.