sicken

1 of 2

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

sickener

2 of 2

noun

sick·​en·​er -k(ə)nə(r) 

plural -s

: something that tends to sicken or disgust : a sickening blow : overdose

Synonyms of sicken

Verb

• disgust
• repulse
• appall
• nauseate
• horrify

Examples of sicken in a Sentence

Verb

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

Verb

Thousands of people were sickened by foodborne illnesses this summer. — Dian Zhang, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026

The tally of people sickened in the outbreak by the parasite cyclospora is now 11,458, the FDA said, up from about 10,900 reported last week. — Todd Feurer, CBS News, 28 Aug. 2026

First a multistate outbreak of cyclosporiasis — a parasitic illness that can cause ‘explosive diarrhea’ — was linked to contaminated shredded iceberg lettuce, sickening nearly 11,000 people. — Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 25 Aug. 2026

Salmonella linked to jalapeños sickened at least 345 people in 27 states, including North Carolina, according to the CDC. — Eva Flowe august 24, Charlotte Observer, 24 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Verb

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