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

• disgust
• gross out
• nauseate
• put off
• repel
• repulse
• revolt
• turn off

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

Foodborne pathogens sicken one in six Americans annually, leading to 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths, according to the FDA. —Louis Biscotti, Forbes, 2 Nov. 2024

By May 2020, almost 6000 people had been sickened and some 800 had died. —Bykai Kupferschmidt, science.org, 31 Oct. 2024

The number of people sickened in an E. coli outbreak linked to McDonald’s burgers rose to 90, the CDC said. —Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 31 Oct. 2024

The owner of a day care where a 1-year-old boy died of fentanyl poisoning and three other children were sickened pleaded guilty Tuesday to federal charges, resolving a case that horrified New York City and underscored the scourge of the nation’s fentanyl epidemic. —Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 29 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Phrases Containing sicken

• sicken of

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