sick call
noun
: a scheduled time at which individuals (such as soldiers) may report as sick to the medical officer
Examples of sick call in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
During the last government shutdown in 2019, air traffic controllers reported higher-than-normal sick calls, which caused significant delays at major airports on the East Coast and likely contributed to the end of the shutdown.
—
Brittney Melton, NPR, 8 Oct. 2025
The cause of the staffing problems was not immediately known, but the Department of Transportation reported an increase in sick calls by air traffic controllers since the start of the shutdown.
—Dalia Faheid, CNN Money, 8 Oct. 2025
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Monday at Newark International Airport that there had been a slight increase in sick calls since the government shutdown began nearly a week ago.
—Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 8 Oct. 2025
A week into the government shutdown, flight delays and cancellations are starting to climb as sick calls involving air traffic controllers leave a number of airport towers and control facilities without enough staff to properly handle all flights.
—Ayesha Ali, ABC News, 7 Oct. 2025
During the 2018–2019 shutdown, higher sick call rates among TSA staff caused long lines and flight delays nationwide.
—Hollie Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025
Requiring weekly reporting on sick call requests and intake screenings.
—Walter Pavlo, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
On top of the CrowdStrike operational meltdown, an email was sent out in violation of the contract requiring absence certificates for uh any sick calls over the weekend.
—Melvin Backman, Quartz, 28 July 2024
In the infirmary, Jones was produced for her sick call appointments on April 29, April 30, and May 6, Morales said.
—Graham Rayman, New York Daily News, 23 July 2024
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Brittney Melton, NPR, 8 Oct. 2025
The cause of the staffing problems was not immediately known, but the Department of Transportation reported an increase in sick calls by air traffic controllers since the start of the shutdown.
—Dalia Faheid, CNN Money, 8 Oct. 2025
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Monday at Newark International Airport that there had been a slight increase in sick calls since the government shutdown began nearly a week ago.
—Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 8 Oct. 2025
A week into the government shutdown, flight delays and cancellations are starting to climb as sick calls involving air traffic controllers leave a number of airport towers and control facilities without enough staff to properly handle all flights.
—Ayesha Ali, ABC News, 7 Oct. 2025
During the 2018–2019 shutdown, higher sick call rates among TSA staff caused long lines and flight delays nationwide.
—Hollie Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025
Requiring weekly reporting on sick call requests and intake screenings.
—Walter Pavlo, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
On top of the CrowdStrike operational meltdown, an email was sent out in violation of the contract requiring absence certificates for uh any sick calls over the weekend.
—Melvin Backman, Quartz, 28 July 2024
In the infirmary, Jones was produced for her sick call appointments on April 29, April 30, and May 6, Morales said.
—Graham Rayman, New York Daily News, 23 July 2024
Cite this Entry
“Sick call.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sick%20call. Accessed 14 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share