Synonyms of sick-outnext
: an organized absence from work by workers on the pretext of sickness

Examples of sick-out in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Workers have even more leverage: Employees can circulate internal petitions calling on their CEOs to cut ties with ICE and organize collective actions like sick-outs. Eric Blanc, Washington Post, 12 Jan. 2026 Boomer also denied that the district’s accusation that employees in the department had organized a sick-out on Oct. 15. Jessica Seaman, Denver Post, 18 Dec. 2025 Last season, Maggie faced nursing union negotiations, culminating in a sick-out. Claire Franken, TVLine, 28 Aug. 2025 Maggie’s major Season 10 storyline involved the tense nursing union negotiations at the hospital, which culminated in a sick-out. Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 28 Aug. 2025 Earlier this month, hundreds of Metro bus riders staged a sick-out in protest of the rising number of assaults among their ranks carried out by passengers. Nathan Solis, Los Angeles Times, 15 May 2024 The decision came less than a week after more than 100 teachers staged a sick-out, part of a citywide day of action by educators and staff regarding the payroll problems. Jill Tucker, San Francisco Chronicle, 1 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1951, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of sick-out was in 1951

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Cite this Entry

“Sick-out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sick-out. Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.

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