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

Two types of influenza — A and B — are responsible for the seasonal flu epidemics that sicken people, according to the California Department of Public Health. — Angela Rodriguez, Sacbee.com, 22 Sep. 2026

At the time, the FDA had gotten reports of at least 30 sickened people. — Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 17 Sep. 2026

Before the vaccine became available in 1963, measles sickened 3 million to 4 million people and led to about 500 deaths every year in the United States. — Jen Christensen, CNN Money, 16 Sep. 2026

The news comes on the heels of an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease on New York City’s Upper East Side, around Museum Mile, which killed 11 people and sickened 94 this past summer. — Cara Lynn Shultz, PEOPLE, 15 Sep. 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