- a variation of sic.
sick
1 Americanadjective
-
affected with ill health, disease, or illness; ailing.
She was sick with the flu for two weeks.
- Synonyms:
- indisposed, infirm
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affected with nausea; inclined to vomit.
If you feel sick, take a few deep breaths and wait for the feeling to pass.
-
deeply affected with some unpleasant feeling, as of sorrow, disgust, or boredom.
The suffering and torments of the wounded make me sick at heart.
I never thought it would happen, but after two years of college I'm sick of parties.
-
mentally, morally, or emotionally deranged, corrupt, or unsound.
Only someone with a sick mind would suggest such an immoral scheme.
He made wild statements that made him seem sick.
-
dwelling on or obsessed with that which is gruesome, sadistic, ghoulish, or the like; morbid: sick jokes.
a sick comedian;
sick jokes.
-
of, relating to, or for use during ill health.
He applied for sick benefits.
-
accompanied by or suggestive of ill health; sickly.
a sick pallor;
the sick smell of disinfectant in the corridors.
-
disgusted; chagrined.
Such blatant hypocrisy makes me sick.
-
not in proper condition; impaired.
My car is sick and I'm afraid it's going to cost a lot of money to repair.
-
The plot is boring but the special effects are sick!
-
Agriculture.
-
failing to sustain adequate harvests of some crop, usually specified.
a wheat-sick soil.
-
containing harmful microorganisms.
a sick field.
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-
Now Rare: Sometimes Offensive. menstruating.
noun
idioms
-
sick to one's stomach, nauseated.
-
sick and tired, utterly weary; fed up.
I'm sick and tired of working so hard!
-
sick as a dog. dog.
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sick at one's stomach, nauseated.
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call in sick, to notify one's place of employment that one will be absent from work because of illness.
I'd rather not call in sick tomorrow, but I'm not sure I can drive like this.
verb (used with object)
adjective
-
inclined or likely to vomit
-
-
suffering from ill health
-
( as collective noun; preceded by the )
the sick
-
-
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of, relating to, or used by people who are unwell
sick benefits
-
( in combination )
sickroom
-
-
deeply affected with a mental or spiritual feeling akin to physical sickness
sick at heart
-
mentally, psychologically, or spiritually disturbed
-
informal delighting in or catering for the macabre or sadistic; morbid
sick humour
-
Also: sick and tired. informal (often foll by of) disgusted or weary, esp because satiated
I am sick of his everlasting laughter
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(often foll by for) weary with longing; pining
I am sick for my own country
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pallid or sickly
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not in working order
-
(of land) unfit for the adequate production of certain crops
-
slang to be outclassed
noun
verb
Synonym Usage
See ill.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of sick
First recorded before 900; Middle English sek, sik, Old English sēoc; cognate with Dutch ziek, German siech, Old Norse sjūkr, Gothic siuks
Explanation
Sick describes someone who's not well, suffering from some kind of illness. You shouldn't go to school when you're sick. If you're sick in bed, you're ill. While sick usually refers to people with physical or mental illnesses, it can also be used to describe an object or system that isn't working right, like a sick economy. Sick can also mean that you're tired of something, like a song you have heard too many times — you're sick of it. Sick is also slang used to describe something that is visually impressive, like a sick hockey goal.
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.
See Examples For:
WWJ reported that it’s unclear at this time whether any Taco Bell consumers have gotten sick with cyclosporiasis.
From Salon ● Jul. 13, 2026
Infected people may not remember what they ate over a two-week period, and not everyone who is sick might be tested.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health tests the ocean water weekly for elevated bacteria levels that can make people sick.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026
However, without treatment, generally done with antibiotics, people can stay sick for a few days or even more than a month, the agency said.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 9, 2026
The question makes me feel sick all over again.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
In the current system, premiums are calculated by assessing the full pool of enrollees, including those who are older and sicker and tend to spend more on medical care.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 30, 2026
But Rosie got sicker and a biopsy showed in 2024 that she did have terminal cancer.
From Barron's ● Mar. 30, 2026
Typically, as health-insurance costs rise, healthier people are the most likely to forgo insurance, leaving a sicker, more costly pool of policyholders.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 19, 2026
“I think he’s running out of steam,” a few of my D.C. happy hour comrades confessed Wednesday after the hearings, “Or he’s really sicker than he lets on.”
From Salon ● Feb. 13, 2026
But it wasn’t until my aunt Corrine flew in from Maryland a few months later that I realized Grandma Caye was sicker than I knew.
From "Courage to Soar" by Simone Biles
In 2023, the year Alice lost her daughter, OUH had the highest stillbirth rate compared to 25 specialist trusts that care for the sickest babies.
From BBC ● Mar. 19, 2026
Some of the sickest burns on the internet right now are coming out of the French Foreign Ministry.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 26, 2026
Carr called Kimmel’s comments “the sickest conduct possible.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2025
The late-night host’s comments, Carr said, were “the sickest conduct possible.”
From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2025
On the night when he was sickest, when his pulse was almost gone and his breathing only a flutter, when I thought he was dying, I sat by his side and held his hand.
From "Z for Zachariah" by Robert C. O’Brien
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.
