sicken

verb

sick·en | \ ˈsi-kən

sickened; sickening\ ˈsi-kə-niŋ

, ˈsik-niŋ \

Definition of sicken

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

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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

The condition, called acute flaccid myelitis or AFM, has potentially sickened 191 people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. — Julia Belluz, Vox, "The outbreak of acute flaccid myelitis, the polio-like illness affecting kids: what we know," 30 Oct. 2018 Even with the garage door open, the carbon monoxide (CO) in the generator's exhaust can sicken somebody inside the house or, in the worst case, even kill someone. — Timothy Dahl, Popular Mechanics, "Home Generator 101: How to Power on When the Power Goes Out," 10 Sep. 2018 The outbreak spanned from March to June, ultimately sickening 210 people in 36 states. — Beth Mole, Ars Technica, "The poop of 100K cows may be to blame for that deadly romaine E. coli outbreak," 8 Aug. 2018 City Councilman Paul Koretz warned his council colleagues about the hazards of rodenticides, which can sicken children and animals. — Ian Lovett, WSJ, "Politics Is a Dirty Business—Starting with the Rats at Los Angeles City Hall," 10 Feb. 2019 The recall comes after reports of a multi-state outbreak of E. coli, which has so far sickened 32 people in 11 states, plus another 18 people in Canada. — Macaela Mackenzie, Glamour, "Do Not Eat Any Romaine Lettuce: Health Officials Have Issued a Massive Recall," 20 Nov. 2018 More than 200 people in several Midwest states have been sickened by a parasite in food from plastic vegetable trays sold under the Del Monte brand. — Matthew Diebel, USA TODAY, "More than 200 hit by parasite from Del Monte vegetables; symptoms can include 'explosive' bowel movements," 9 July 2018 In the largest outbreaks, hundreds have been sickened by blooms in reservoirs and lakes, and officials in some areas now routinely close water bodies used for recreation and post warnings when blooms occur. — Tom James, chicagotribune.com, "Warming drives spread of toxic algae in U.S., researchers say," 22 June 2018 According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 1,600 people in the U.S. are sickened by listeriosis each year, and about 260 victims die of the infection. — Gregory B. Hladky, courant.com, "Stop & Shop Issues Recall for Listeria-Tainted Frozen Broccoli," 23 May 2018

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.