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

"I felt so under the weather, so fatigued and in so much pain."

From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026

“My son couldn’t come today because he’s feeling a little under the weather with a fever,” said Porro, who dedicated his goal to the boy.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026

It was wilting under the weather and the weight of a team from Iowa.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 15, 2025

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

From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2025

From some need of his own, Don Bernardo pretended his wife was just under the weather rather than suffering from dementia.

From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez