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

In July, Taylor Farms de Mexico recalled all iceberg lettuce sourced in Mexico from 27 states following a cyclospora outbreak that has sickened 18,445 people since the beginning of May. — Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 4 Sep. 2026

Excessive nitrogen and phosphorus, leading to algae blooms that can kill fish and sicken people. — Sarah Cutler, Idaho Statesman, 4 Sep. 2026

Pet food manufactured by a West Coast company could sicken people as well as animals, federal officials say. — Julia Hawkins, Sacbee.com, 2 Sep. 2026

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