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

Boar's Head withdrew millions of pounds of deli products last year, when a listeria outbreak killed 10 and sickened dozens more, prompting a federal investigation, which resulted in the temporary closure of its main plant in Virginia. —Amanda Greenwood, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Nov. 2025

But parents have reported that babies who drank the formula may have been sickened as early as December 2024. —Boston Herald Wire Services, Boston Herald, 22 Nov. 2025

One of the defining events underpinning that resistance is the 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill, a catastrophe that fouled miles of shoreline, killed thousands of seabirds and sickened marine mammals. —Chaewon Chung, Sacbee.com, 20 Nov. 2025

Foodborne illnesses sicken 48 million Americans – 1 in 6 people – each year. —Lisa Cuchara, The Conversation, 14 Nov. 2025

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