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

Police in Broomfield, Colorado, opened an investigation after multiple hot dogs laced with methamphetamine were found in a family’s yard and sickened at least two dogs, according to a press release. —Hollie Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026

The Gardners were on a family vacation when Miller Gardner died and Brett Gardner and others were sickened. —ABC News, 20 Mar. 2026

In early January, the CDC reported that an outbreak on board a Holland America cruise ship had sickened more than 80 people after departing from Fort Lauderdale at the end of December. —Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 15 Mar. 2026

Over the course of the outbreak, more than 8,000 people were sickened and nearly 800 died in over 37 countries. —Kate Perez, USA Today, 15 Mar. 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