sick

\ ˈsik

How to pronounce sick (audio)

\

sicker; sickest

Definition of sick

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a(1) : affected with disease or ill health : ailing

(2) : of, relating to, or intended for use in sickness took five sick days this month a sick ward

b : queasy, nauseated sick to one's stomach was sick in the car

c : undergoing menstruation

2 : spiritually or morally unsound or corrupt

3a : sickened by strong emotion sick with fear worried sick

b : having a strong distaste from surfeit : satiated sick of flattery

c : filled with disgust or chagrin gossip makes me sick

d : depressed and longing for something sick for one's home

4a : mentally or emotionally unsound or disordered : morbid sick thoughts

b : highly distasteful : macabre, sadistic sick jokes a sick crime

5 : lacking vigor : sickly: such as

a : badly outclassed made the competition look sick

b : incapable of producing profitable yields of a crop sick soils

6 slang : outstandingly or amazingly good or impressive Rookie was phenomenal Friday. His goal was nice, but the pass to twin brother, Chris, … was downright sick.— Roy Lang III

sick

Definition of sick (Entry 2 of 2)

British

: vomit sense 1

Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about sick

Keep scrolling for more

Examples of sick in a Sentence

Adjective He is at home sick in bed. She is sick with the flu. I'm too sick to go to work. The medicine just made me sicker. The sickest patients are in intensive care. My poor rosebush looks sick. She has been on the sick list all week. The way they treat people makes me sick.

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective Her husband, who was also sick, struggled to care for his wife. — Holly Bailey, Washington Post, "‘I said goodbye to my sister through a computer screen’," 2 Jan. 2021 Soon nearly everyone in this tightknit community knew someone who was sick. — Dave Philipps, BostonGlobe.com, "The small Colorado town shrugged off the pandemic. Then came the coronavirus variant," 31 Dec. 2020 But even those members of the staff who aren’t sick are feeling fatigued from the workload. — Bob Blubaugh, baltimoresun.com/maryland/carroll, "‘Now is not the time’: Carroll Hospital president urges residents not to let COVID-19 guard — or masks — down," 31 Dec. 2020 Sweeney said he was advised that people who are sick or are recently recovering should not yet receive the vaccine. — cleveland, "Cuyahoga County Board of Health expects to vaccinate about 1,000 firefighters and EMTs by end of week," 29 Dec. 2020 Masks have long been customary in South Korea and other parts of Asia — to protect others when the wearer is sick, or as a shield against pollution. — Los Angeles Times, "Some Asian Americans and immigrants wore masks readily. In a brutal election year, it made them heroes, targets, prophets," 26 Dec. 2020 It’s that if hospitals get overwhelmed because staff are sick, deaths among the general public start to climb much more quickly, Zink added. — Author: Nathaniel Herz, Anchorage Daily News, "As groups clamor for vaccine, here’s how Alaska will decide who’s next in line," 24 Dec. 2020 Yet according to Gaither, the emotional toll of being sick has been her biggest challenge. — Holly Bartholomew, oregonlive, "For Oregon woman, COVID-19 has meant cough, aches, ear pain, tremors, fever, rashes, fatigue and more," 24 Dec. 2020 The Children of Restaurant Employees nonprofit gives money to food and beverage industry workers whose children are sick. — Annabelle Timsit, Quartz, "How to do good with a stimulus check you don’t need," 22 Dec. 2020

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

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about sick

Dictionary Entries near sick

sic itur ad astra

Statistics for sick

Last Updated

9 Jan 2021

Cite this Entry

“Sick.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sick. Accessed 18 Jan. 2021.

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for sick

sick

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of sick

: affected with a disease or illness

: of or relating to people who are ill

informal : very annoyed or bored by something because you have had too much of it

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

sick

\ ˈsik

\

sicker; sickest

Kids Definition of sick

1 : affected with disease or illness : not well

2 : of, relating to, or intended for use in or during illness sick pay

3 : affected with or accompanied by nausea The bobbing of the boat made me feel sick.

4 : badly upset by strong emotion I was sick with worry.

5 : annoyed or bored of something from having too much of it We were sick of his whining.

6 : filled with disgust or anger Such gossip makes me sick.

sick

\ ˈsik

\

Medical Definition of sick

1a : affected with disease or ill health

b : of, relating to, or intended for use in sickness a sick ward

c : affected with nausea : inclined to vomit or being in the act of vomiting sick to one's stomach was sick in the car

2 : mentally or emotionally unsound or disordered

Keep scrolling for more

WORD OF THE DAY

preeminent

Listen to the pronunciation of preeminent

See Definitions and Examples »

Get Word of the Day daily email!

Test Your Vocabulary

Words of Snow and Ice Quiz

Which of the following refers to thin, bending ice, or to the act of running over such ice?

Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.

Anagram puzzles meet word search.