sicken

verb

sick·​en ˈsi-kən 

sickened; sickening ˈsi-kə-niŋ 

ˈsik-niŋ

intransitive verb

1

: to become sick

2

: to become weary or satiated

transitive verb

1

: to make sick

2

: to cause revulsion in

their prejudice sickens me

sickener

ˈsi-kə-nər 

ˈsik-nər

noun

Synonyms of sicken

• disgust
• repulse
• appall
• nauseate
• horrify

Examples of sicken in a Sentence

Many people sickened and died on the long voyage.

The bacteria in the drinking water sickened the whole village.

We were sickened by the reports of violence.

Recent Examples on the Web

Flu season has arrived early this year, with a new variant of the virus already sickening thousands and sending many to the hospital. — Emily Kay Votruba, EverydayHealth.com, 23 Oct. 2026

Reporter covering local breaking news Federal health officials are investigating a multistate salmonella outbreak that has been linked to raw oysters and sickened 27 people across a dozen states. — Dana Hedgpeth, Washington Post, 22 Oct. 2026

The state’s outbreak has spread to dozens of counties, sickened over 1,200 people, and put 176 in the hospital. — Raj Panjabi, STAT, 21 Oct. 2026

Last week, ProPublica detailed the case of two girls severely sickened last year after consuming raw goat milk from an unregulated farm in southern California. — Annie Waldman, ProPublica, 8 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Phrases Containing sicken

• sicken of

Rhymes for sicken

• chicken
• likin
• quicken
• stricken
• thicken
• indican

Kids Definition

sicken

verb

sick·​en ˈsik-ən 

sickened; sickening -(ə-)niŋ 

: to make or become sick

Medical Definition

sicken

transitive verb

sick·​en ˈsik-ən 

: to make sick

intransitive verb

: to become sick