sic

adverb

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\ ˈsik

, ˈsēk

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

Synonyms Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about sic

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Examples of sic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Amazon should pay these costs (plus) and not have them bourne (sic) by the American Taxpayer. — Ella Lee, USA TODAY, "Fact check: Voters should request ballots 2 weeks early, but mail isn't intentionally slow," 11 Aug. 2020 To threaten to sic the police on that community is another form of inciting violence. — refinery29.com, "Dear Bill De Blasio, All Jews Are Not The Same," 29 Apr. 2020 All of these people are the latest victims of an internet-age crime called swatting, in which bad actors sic the police on a fellow internet user who has angered, offended, or simply annoyed them. — Emma Grey Ellis, WIRED, "Swatting Is a Deadly Problem—Here's the Solution," 22 Aug. 2019 Then, in the third scene, Hobbs seeks vengeance against Shaw for an airport-search prank by sicking the London police on him. — Eliana Dockterman, Time, "What the Hobbs & Shaw Post-Credits Scenes Mean for the Fast & Furious Franchise," 2 Aug. 2019 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 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

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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Cite this Entry

“Sic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sic. Accessed 27 Feb. 2021.

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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