# sick

/ˈsɪk/ (US) · /sˈɪk/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/sick
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 2. nauseated

adjective · CEFR A2

feeling like you are going to vomit.

For teachers: feeling nauseous or experiencing the urge to vomit.

- The bumpy car ride made the children feel quite sick.
- He felt increasingly sick as the small ferry tossed violently in the heavy swells of the channel.

Usage: Often used with 'feel' or 'get'.

### 3. tired of something

adjective · CEFR B1 · Informal

very annoyed or bored with something that keeps happening.

For teachers: thoroughly weary of or annoyed by something due to repetition or duration.

- I am sick of eating the same sandwich every single day.
- The residents grew sick of the constant construction noise that disrupted their sleep for six consecutive months.

Usage: Almost always followed by the preposition 'of'.

### 4. cruel or in bad taste

adjective · CEFR B2 · Informal

describing a joke or behavior that is cruel or offensive.

For teachers: disturbing, cruel, or morbid in a way that offends standard social sensibilities.

- That was a sick joke to tell at a funeral.
- The film was criticized for its sick sense of humor, which many viewers found unnecessarily graphic and insensitive.

### 5. excellent

adjective · CEFR C1 · Slang

very good, cool, or impressive.

For teachers: exceptionally good, impressive, or aesthetically pleasing.

- Did you see his new car? It looks absolutely sick.
- The lead guitarist performed a sick solo that left the entire audience in stunned silence.

Teaching tip: This is a 'contronym' where a negative word is used positively. It is very common in youth culture and extreme sports contexts.

### 6. vomit

noun · CEFR B2 · British English · Informal

the food or liquid that comes out of your mouth when you are ill.

For teachers: matter vomited from the stomach.

- There was some sick on the rug after the dog got into the trash.
- The janitor was called to clean up the sick in the hallway after the flu outbreak hit the primary school.

Usage: Uncountable noun.

### 7. government benefits

noun · CEFR C1 · British English · Informal

money paid by the government to people who are too ill to work.

For teachers: social security payments or leave entitlement provided to those incapacitated by illness.

- He has been on the sick for six months following his back injury.
- The local council reported a significant increase in the number of residents currently on the long-term sick.

Usage: Usually appears in the phrase 'on the sick'.

### 8. to vomit

verb · CEFR B2 · British English · Informal

to be sick; to bring up food from your stomach.

For teachers: to eject the contents of the stomach through the mouth.

- The baby sicked up a little bit of milk on my shoulder.
- He felt so dizzy that he feared he might sick up his dinner right there on the pavement.

Usage: Often used as 'sick up'.

## Examples

- I stayed home today because I feel sick.
- She had to leave the meeting early because she started feeling sick after lunch.
- The doctor advised him to rest for several days, noting that his symptoms were typical of a seasonal virus making people sick across the city.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.