sick (sicker comparative) (sickest superlative )
1 adj 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...
The sick are people who are sick., n-plural the N
There were no doctors to treat the sick.
2 adj If you are sick, the food that you have eaten comes up from your stomach and out of your mouth. If you feelsick, you feel as if you are going to be sick.
v-link ADJ
She got up and was sick in the handbasin..., The very thought of food made him feel sick...
3 n-uncount Sick is vomit.
(BRIT)
INFORMAL
4 adj 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 v-link ADJ of n/-ing (emphasis)
(=fed up)
I am sick and tired of hearing all these people moaning...
5 adj 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., (disapproval)
...a sick joke about a cat...
6 If you say that something or someone makes you sick, you mean that they make you feel angry or disgusted.
INFORMAL
make sb sick phrase V inflects, oft it PHR that
It makes me sick that people commit offences and never get punished...
7 If you are off sick, you are not at work because you are ill.
off sick phrase usu v-link PHR
When we are off sick, we only receive half pay.
8 If you say that you are worried sick, you are emphasizing that you are extremely worried. INFORMAL
worried sick phrase v-link PHR (emphasis)
He was worried sick about what our mothers would say.
sick bay (sick bays plural ), sick-bay A sick bay is an area, especially on a ship or navy base, or in Britain in a school or university, where medical treatment is given and where beds are provided for people who are ill. n-count also prep N
...a free 16-bed sick bay for students needing continuous care...
sick building syndrome
Sick building syndrome is a group of conditions, including headaches, sore eyes, and tiredness, which people who work in offices may experience because the air there is not healthy to breathe. n-uncount
sick leave
Sick leave is the time that a person spends away from work because of illness or injury. (BUSINESS) n-uncount oft on N
I have been on sick leave for seven months with depression.
sick note (sick notes plural )A sick note is an official note signed by a doctor which states that someone is ill and needs to stay off work for a particular period of time. n-count
sick pay
When you are ill and unable to work, sick pay is the money that you get from your employer instead of your normal wages. (BUSINESS) n-uncount
They are not eligible for sick pay.
