verb
-
to make or become sick, nauseated, or disgusted
-
to show symptoms (of an illness)
Other Word Forms
- resicken verb
- unsickened adjective
Etymology
Origin of sicken
1150–1200; Middle English seknen, sicnen; cognate with Old Norse sjūkna. See sick 1, -en 1
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 fact, such a thing had been in the works since the 1950s, but instead of hurrying to get them assembly-line ready as L.A. was sickening with smog, Detroit just made bigger, filthier cars.
From Los Angeles Times
Leaders from across the political spectrum have since called for an immediate investigation, calling the allegations "harrowing" and "sickening".
From BBC
The sickening white of its twisting belly flashed in the firelight.
From Literature
Torak had just done so, and caught a sickening glimpse .of the void below.
From Literature
A Washington environmental group found that a Chinese cobalt plant in the Democratic Republic of Congo sickened locals as it raced to increase production of a mineral critical for electric-vehicle batteries.
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.
