to attack (used especially in commanding a dog).
Sic 'em!
to incite to attack (usually followed byon ).
Sicilian.
Sicily.
to turn on or attack: used only in commands, as to a dog
to urge (a dog) to attack
First recorded in 1835–45; variant of seek
First recorded in 1400–50; Middle English (north and Scots); see such
First recorded in 1885–90; from Latin sīc
When urging your dog to chase a thief, you might say, "Sic 'em, Fluffy!" When writing something that might look wrong, you add "[sic]" to indicate you know it's wrong. When you’re writing a paper and you want to quote a source, but the source contains a misspelling or some other error, you use the word [sic] after the quote so that whoever reads your paper knows the mistake is in the original source, rather than in your own sloppy typing. It’s kind of a way of saying, “Yeah, I know this is wrong, but let’s just be clear — I didn't do it!”
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Why someone doesn’t sic HR on him is beyond me.
From Washington Post • Nov. 17, 2022
Otherwise, “the company may report you as delinquent,” which means it could sic debt collectors on him and trash his credit score.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 19, 2021
Whatever the substance of his personal feud with Mitchell may be, it comes shortly after his attempt to sic his followers on a journalist after being duped by a fake Twitter account.
From Salon • Sep. 28, 2021
Sometimes, with fiction, it’s sic biscuitus disintegratum — that’s the way the cookie crumbles.
From New York Times • Feb. 1, 2021
But he didn’t come and he didn’t sic ’em.
From "Old Yeller" by Fred Gipson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
