motion sickness

American

noun

Pathology.

a feeling of nausea and dizziness, sometimes accompanied by vomiting, resulting from stimulation by motion of the semicircular canals of the ear during travel by car, plane, etc.

motion sickness British

noun

the state or condition of being dizzy or nauseous from riding in a moving vehicle

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of motion sickness

First recorded in 1940–45

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

In reality, she is prone to motion sickness.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 30, 2026

Nereus’s approval for motion sickness is a milestone, but its potential use for GLP-1 drug-induced vomiting is a more significant opportunity.

From Barron's • Dec. 31, 2025

Scopolamine, colloquially known as Devil’s Breath, is used to treat motion sickness.

From BBC • Oct. 16, 2024

Those of us in this car — and watching it from the stands — are suffering from motion sickness.

From Salon • Sep. 9, 2024

A few people got motion sickness, and threw up in barf bags.

From "How Dare the Sun Rise" by Sandra Uwiringiyimana

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023