sick

play

adjective \ˈsik\

Definition of sick

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 wardb : queasy, nauseated sick to one's stomach was sick in the carc : undergoing menstruation
2 : spiritually or morally unsound or corrupt
3a : sickened by strong emotion sick with fear worried sickb : having a strong distaste from surfeit : satiated sick of flatteryc : filled with disgust or chagrin gossip makes me sickd : depressed and longing for something sick for one's home
4a : mentally or emotionally unsound or disordered : morbid sick thoughtsb : highly distasteful : macabre, sadistic sick jokes a sick crime
5 : lacking vigor : sickly: such asa : badly outclassed made the competition look sickb : 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

sickly

adverb

See sick defined for English-language learners

See sick defined for kids

Examples of sick in a Sentence

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 of sick from the Web

Others may have to leave to care for a sick relative.

— ron lieber, charlotteobserver, "Don’t drain your 401(k) (or let a former employer do it)," 19 July 2017
Safety nets The lack of availability of donor milk for sick babies in rural and smaller hospitals is a problem that needs addressing nationally, said Bar-Yam.

— anna claire vollers, AL.com, "Rise in donated breast milk raises questions of fairness across Alabama," 19 July 2017
But critics argue that younger, healthier individuals would opt for the bare-bones plans, which would eventually result in higher premiums for individuals who are sicker or have pre-existing conditions.

— vanityfair.com, "The Republican Health-Care Plan Just Suffered a Major Setback," 17 July 2017
The law also requires the same premium rates for sick and healthy people.

— Time, "These Are the Winners and Losers in the New Republican Health Care Plan," 15 July 2017
The sick people, AHIP said, would face extraordinarily high premiums, or might not be able to find coverage. ‘

— laura litvan, Bloomberg.com, "Republicans Have No Margin for Defections in Senate Health Bill," 13 July 2017
The campaign to make people sick to make rich people wealthier never sleeps.

— charles p. pierce, Esquire, "The Phony Healthcare 'Compromise' Is Coming," 4 July 2017
Critics argue that younger healthier individuals would rush into the skimpier market, which would result in a spike in premiums for sicker individuals, making the more regulated plans unaffordable.

— abigail tracy, The Hive, "The Republican Plot to Kill Obamacare Isn't as Dead as It Seems," 30 June 2017
Outside of the sick kids who did the shooting, what elements of society can be held responsible for this climate of violence that, after numerous other similar incidents, has reached critical mass out there in Colorado?

— mark jacobson, Daily Intelligencer, "The Generation Gap in My Living Room," 30 June 2017

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.

Origin and Etymology of sick

Middle English sek, sik, from Old English sēoc; akin to Old High German sioh sick

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

sick

noun

Definition of sick

British

: vomit 1

See sick defined for English-language learners

First Known Use of sick

1957

SICK Defined for English Language Learners

sick

play

adjective

Definition of sick for English Language Learners

: affected with a disease or illness
: of or relating to people who are ill
: very annoyed or bored by something because you have had too much of it

SICK Defined for Kids

sick

play

adjective \ˈsik\

Definition of sick for Students

sicker

;

sickest

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.

Medical Dictionary

sick

play

adjective \ˈsik\

Medical Definition of sick

1a: affected with disease or ill healthb: of, relating to, or intended for use in sickness a sick wardc: 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