sic

1 of 3

adverb

: 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

2 of 3

verb

variants or less commonly sick
sicced also sicked ˈsikt How to pronounce sic (audio) ; siccing also sicking

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

3 of 3

chiefly Scottish variant of such

Did you know?

The adverb sic, usually enclosed in brackets, is a word editors use in the reproduction of someone else's speech or writing to indicate that an unexpected form exactly reproduces the original and is not a copier's mistake. Sic comes from Latin, in which it means "so" or "thus." Though it's a useful tool, some usage commentators feel it is bad manners to use a sic to needlessly call attention to someone's error or to deride the language of a less-educated person.

Examples of sic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Loosing [sic] a sibling feels like a connection between us was destroyed. Elizabeth Ayoola, Essence, 19 Mar. 2024 Northern Cardinal, Cardinalis cardinalis – Indiana’s state bird shares the same title in at least sic other states. Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 4 Mar. 2024 Right-wing pundits sic their viewers on comedians who mock their pet causes. TIME, 2 Feb. 2024 The franchise's latest spinoff, The Walking Dead: Dead City, which sics its shambling hordes on New York City, premieres this summer. Christian Holub, EW.com, 11 May 2023 To quickly summarize the meat of the episode: Varga, through Mike Ehrmantraut, makes contact with Gus Fring — the cartel’s man in the north, who used Varga to sic the hitmen on Salamanca. Andy Meek, BGR, 28 Apr. 2022 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, 25 Mar. 2019

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adverb

Latin, so, thus — more at so

Verb

alteration of seek

First Known Use

Adverb

circa 1859, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1845, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of sic was in 1845

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Dictionary Entries Near sic

Cite this Entry

“Sic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sic. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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