sick

[[t]sɪ̱k[/t]]

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sicker, sickest

1) ADJ-GRADED If you are sick, you are ill. Sick usually means physically ill, but it can sometimes be used to mean mentally ill.

He's very sick. He needs medication...

She found herself with two small children, a sick husband, and no money...

He was not evil, but he was sick.

Syn:

ill

N-PLURAL: the N

The sick are people who are sick.

There were no doctors to treat the sick.

2) ADJ-GRADED: v-link ADJ If you are sick, the food that you have eaten comes up from your stomach and out of your mouth. If you feel sick, you feel as if you are going to be sick.

She got up and was sick in the handbasin...

The very thought of food made him feel sick...

Orange juice makes him sick so don't give it to him.

3) N-UNCOUNT Sick is vomit. [BRIT, INFORMAL]

4) ADJ-GRADED: v-link ADJ of n/-ing (emphasis) If you say that you are sick of something or sick and tired of it, you are emphasizing that you are very annoyed by it and want it to stop. [INFORMAL]

I am sick and tired of hearing all these people moaning...

Most people here are sick of violence.

Syn:

fed up

5) ADJ-GRADED (disapproval) If you describe something such as a joke or story as sick, you mean that it deals with death or suffering in an unpleasantly humorous way.

...a sick joke about a cat...

That's really sick.

6) PHRASE: V inflects, oft it PHR that If you say that something or someone makes you sick, you mean that they make you feel angry or disgusted. [INFORMAL]

It makes me sick that young people commit offences time after time and never seem to get punished...

The British press makes me sick.

7) PHRASE: usu v-link PHR If you are off sick, you are not at work because you are ill.

When we are off sick, we only receive half pay.

8) PHRASE: v-link PHR (emphasis) If you say that you are worried sick, you are emphasizing that you are extremely worried. [INFORMAL]

He was worried sick about what our mothers would say.