sic

adverb

\ ˈsik

Definition of sic

(Entry 1 of 3)

: intentionally so written —used after a printed word or passage to indicate that it is intended exactly as printed or to indicate that it exactly reproduces an original said he seed [sic] it all

sic

verb

\ ˈsik

variants: or less commonly sick

sicced also sicked\ ˈsikt

\; siccing also sicking

Definition of sic (Entry 2 of 3)

transitive verb

1 : chase, attack —usually used as a command especially to a dog sic 'em

2 : to incite or urge to an attack, pursuit, or harassment : set sicced their lawyers on me

sic

\ ˈsik

Definition of sic (Entry 3 of 3)

chiefly Scottish variant of such

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Examples of sic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

In a bid to curb losses on its platform, Venmo is threatening to sic debt collectors on some users who carry negative balances in their accounts, according to customer-service emails reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. — Peter Rudegeair, WSJ, "Venmo to Users: If You Owe Us Money, We’re Coming for It," 25 Mar. 2019 And that the internet should sic itself on she who committed such a sin, and her alone? — Amy Odell, Cosmopolitan, "Kim Kardashian Didn't Just Ruin Taylor Swift, She Ruined Taylor Swift's Squad," 19 July 2016 Loeb did not hesitate to sic police officers on sanitation strikers, their families and their supporters—including Gladys Carpenter, a veteran organizer who was present at both the 1965 Selma march and the Meredith March Against Fear. — Kirsten West Savali, The Root, "Watch: Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired: Memphis Sanitation Workers Go On Strike," 19 Feb. 2018 Harvey Weinstein survived by placing financial pressure on his victims and offering incentives to everyone else to keep quiet; the markets that made him a millionaire enabled him to hire literal spies and sic them on Rose McGowan. — Sarah Jones, New Republic, "The Year in Class War," 8 Dec. 2017 And while most weeks the Vikings can just sic Xavier Rhodes on the opposing team’s best receiver (in this case Antonio Brown) and forget it, the Steelers’ wide variety of weapons and those troublesome 3x1 alignments could mitigate Rhodes’ impact. — Gary Gramling, SI.com, "NFL Week 2 Preview: Mike Daniels: Superhero, Short-Term Ills of the Patriots and Giants, Hands Down the Best Celebration in Football," 17 Sep. 2017 Trump threatened to sic the Justice Department on Hillary Clinton for her Crimes Against Emails during a presidential debate. — Jack Holmes, Esquire, "Every Day, the Trump White House Disrespects the FBI and the Department of Justice," 14 Sep. 2017 Well, right now, federal law does not prevent (sic) us at VA to look at that as an option for veterans. — Polly Washburn, The Cannabist, "Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin says MMJ “may be helpful” but hands tied by federal law," 31 May 2017 And that the internet should sic itself on she who committed such a sin, and her alone? — Amy Odell, Cosmopolitan, "Kim Kardashian Didn't Just Ruin Taylor Swift, She Ruined Taylor Swift's Squad," 19 July 2016

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'sic.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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The first known use of sic was in 1845

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More Definitions for sic

sic

verb

English Language Learners Definition of sic

(Entry 1 of 2)

US, informal : to attack (someone or something)

sic

English Language Learners Definition of sic (Entry 2 of 2)

—used in writing after an error (such as a spelling error) in a quotation to show that the error was made by the speaker or writer who is being quoted and not by you

See the full definition for sic in the English Language Learners Dictionary