under the weather

Cultural  

1. Indisposed, unwell: “The day after the big party, Jay had to call in sick, saying he was feeling under the weather.”

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under the weather Idioms  

1. Ailing, ill; also, suffering from a hangover. For example, She said she was under the weather and couldn't make it to the meeting. This expression presumably alludes to the influence of the weather on one's health. [Early 1800s] The same term is sometimes used as a euphemism for being drunk, as in After four drinks, Ellen was a bit under the weather.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

under the weather

Feeling under the weather, the 45-year-old social worker noticed what she believed was a boil in her upper groin.

From BBC ● Jun. 16, 2026

"I felt a bit under the weather, but I was still going about my daily life," she said.

From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2025

Dick Van Dyke was reportedly under the weather Saturday and couldn’t host his recurring Vandy Camp fan event with his wife at the couple’s namesake theater at Malibu High School.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2025

“He’s been under the weather a little bit. So I don’t know if that bled into the stuff, the velocity. I’m not sure.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 18, 2024

“Feeling a little under the weather, are we?”

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides