sic

adverb \ ˈsik , ˈsēk \

Definition of sic

: 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 was our Word of the Day on 08/02/2011. Hear the podcast!

Origin and Etymology of sic

Latin, so, thus — more at so

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1859

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

sic

verb \ ˈsik \

variants: or less commonly sick

Definition of sic

sicced also sicked play \ˈsikt\; 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

See sic defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of sic from the Web

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.

Origin and Etymology of sic

alteration of seek

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1845

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

sic

\ ˈsik \

Definition of sic

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.