sicken

verb sick·en \ ˈsi-kən \

Definition of sicken

sickened; sickening play \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

play \ˈsi-kə-nər, ˈsik-nər\ noun

See sicken defined for English-language learners

See sicken defined for kids

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 of sicken from the Web

People who truly believe in conservative values are sickened by white supremacy, and Trump's hesitation to identify Charlottesville as such reveals his true nature as a populist.

— karly matthews, Seventeen, "6 Conservative Students Slam Trump's Reaction to White Supremacists in Charlottesville," 17 Aug. 2017
BOISE, Idaho — Predator-killing cyanide traps such as one that sickened a boy in Idaho and killed his dog should be banned, environmental groups told the federal government Thursday.

— keith ridler, The Seattle Times, "Groups call for ban on cyanide traps that kill predator animals," 11 Aug. 2017
EPA inspectors sickened The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency conducted its inspections in May. The results have not been released.

— john diedrich, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "OSHA inspects Wisconsin barrel refurbishing plant after reports of unsafe work conditions," 10 Aug. 2017
Air pollutants are the result of impurities in coal that, once burned, can become air- or water-borne hazards, including soot, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and mercury, all of which are regulated in the U.S. This stuff kills or sickens people.

— Fortune, "Coal Plants Might Be Even More Toxic Than We Thought," 8 Aug. 2017
Death Becomes Her even inspired a runway challenge on the groundbreaking reality competition series RuPaul’s Drag Race, where sickening queen Violet Chachki won for her breathless look and dangerously cinched waist.

— kristy puchko, HWD, "The Gloriously Queer Afterlife of Death Becomes Her," 3 Aug. 2017
AUSTIN, Texas — Police in Austin, Texas, will pull nearly 400 Ford Explorer SUVs from their patrol fleet amid complaints of exhaust fumes inside the vehicles that have sickened some officers.

— jim vertuno, Detroit Free Press, "Austin police pulls Ford Explorers off patrol over fumes," 28 July 2017
This story, though sickening in its substance, was like an energizing breeze off Windansea.

— logan jenkins, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Cunanan anniversary stirs memories of worst (and yet best) of times," 25 July 2017
The value of Ackman's now $1.1 billion stake started to fall Tuesday, as investors worried that the news of sickened Chipotle customers in Sterling, Va., would dissuade other consumers from visiting the Mexican food chain.

— lucinda shen, Fortune, "Bill Ackman Isn’t Scared to Eat Chipotle After a Norovirus Outbreak," 19 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'sicken.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.