- physically or mentally ill
- a sick child
- a sick relative/patient
- Her mother's very sick.
- Peter has been off sick (= away from work because he is ill) for two weeks.
- Emma has just called in sick (= phoned to say she will not be coming to work because she is ill).
- (British English) Britain's workers went sick (= did not go to work because they were ill) for a record number of days last year.
- (North American English) I can't afford to get sick (= become ill).
- They became sick after eating contaminated food.
- I have been sick in bed since you left.
- She was sick with the flu.
- Many people were sick from diseases caused by pollution.
Collocations IllnessesIllnessesBecoming ill- catch a cold/an infectious disease/the flu/(British English) flu/pneumonia/a virus/(informal) a bug
- get (British English) ill/(North American English) sick/a disease/AIDS/breast cancer/a cold/the flu/(British English) flu/a migraine
- come down with a cold/the flu/(British English) flu
- contract a deadly disease/a serious illness/HIV/AIDS
- be infected with a virus/a parasite/HIV
- develop cancer/diabetes/a rash/an ulcer/symptoms of hepatitis
- have a heart attack/a stroke
- provoke/trigger/produce an allergic reaction
- block/burst/rupture a blood vessel
- damage/sever a nerve/an artery/a tendon
- feel (British English) ill/nauseous/queasy
- be running (British English) a temperature/(North American English) a fever
- have a head cold/diabetes/heart disease/lung cancer/a headache/(British English) a high temperature/(North American English) a fever
- suffer from asthma/malnutrition/frequent headaches/nausea/bouts of depression/post-traumatic stress disorder
- be laid up with/ (British English) be in bed with a cold/the flu/(British English) flu/a migraine
- nurse a cold/a headache/a hangover
- battle/fight cancer/depression/addiction/alcoholism
- examine a patient
- diagnose a condition/disease/disorder
- be diagnosed with cancer/diabetes/schizophrenia
- prescribe/be given/be on/take drugs/medicine/medication/pills/painkillers/antibiotics
- treat somebody for cancer/depression/shock
- have/undergo an examination/an operation/surgery/a kidney transplant/therapy/chemotherapy/treatment for cancer
- have/be given an injection/(British English) a flu jab/(North American English) a flu shot/a blood transfusion/a scan/an X-ray
- cure a disease/an ailment/cancer/a headache/a patient
- prevent the spread of disease/further outbreaks/damage to the lungs
- be vaccinated against the flu/(British English) flu/the measles/(British English) measles/polio/smallpox
- enhance/boost/confer/build immunity to a disease
Extra ExamplesTopics Health problemsa1- Don't ask a babysitter to look after a sick child.
- The house has accommodation for up to 60 chronically sick or disabled residents.
- She was sick with cancer.
- She was afraid she would get sick if she stayed in that place any longer.
- The workers got sick from radiation exposure.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs- be
- look
- become
- …
- chronically
- desperately
- extremely
- …
- from
- with
- be off sick
- [not usually before noun] feeling that you want to vomit
- Mum, I feel sick!
- If you eat any more cake you'll make yourself sick.
- a sick feeling in your stomach
Extra Examples- If you eat all that chocolate it'll make you sick.
- Whenever I think about my exams I feel physically sick.
- Laura felt almost sick with embarrassment.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs- be
- feel
- look
- …
- horribly
- very
- violently
- …
- with
- be as sick as a dog
- sick to your stomach
- (in compounds) feeling sick as a result of travelling on a ship, plane, etc.
- seasick
- airsick
- carsick
- travel-sick
- (informal) bored with or annoyed about something that has been happening for a long time, and wanting it to stop
- sick of somebody/something I'm sick of the way you've treated me.
- I'm sick and tired of your moaning.
- I'm sick to death of all of you!
- We are getting heartily sick of your attitude.
- sick of doing something We're sick of waiting around like this.
- I am sick of hearing about them and their wedding.
- sick of somebody doing something I'm so sick of him whining about how hard his job is.
Extra Examples- He was getting heartily sick of all the false sympathy.
- I'm getting sick of all these delays.
- I'm getting sick of you leaving things in a mess.
- She was getting a bit sick of his moaning.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs- be
- become
- get
- …
- heartily
- really
- absolutely
- …
- of
- sick and tired of something
- sick to the back teeth of something
- sick to death of something
- …
- (informal) (especially of humour) dealing with physical or mental pain, disease or death in a cruel way that some people think is offensive
- a sick joke
- That's really sick.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs- be
- seem
- sound
- …
- extremely
- fairly
- very
- …
- sick in the head
- (informal) getting pleasure from doing strange or cruel things
- a sick mind
- People think I'm sick for having a rat as a pet.
- We live in a sick society.
Extra Examples- Whoever started the fire must be sick in the head.
- You're really sick, you know that?
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs- be
- seem
- sound
- …
- extremely
- fairly
- very
- …
- sick in the head
- (slang) very good, a lot of fun, etc.
- I love that song—it’s sick!
see also homesick, lovesick
ill
wanting to vomit
-sick
bored
cruel/strange
good
Word OriginOld English sēoc ‘affected by illness’, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch ziek and German siech.
Idioms
See sick in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee sick in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishbe sick
- (especially British English) to bring food from your stomach back out through your mouth synonym vomit
- I was sick three times in the night.
- She had been violently sick.
be worried sick; be sick with worry
- to be extremely worried
- Where have you been? I've been worried sick about you.
- She was worrying herself sick about the exams.
fall sick
(also old-fashioned take sick)
- (formal) to become sick
- A week later he fell sick and died.
- He fell sick with yellow fever.
make somebody sick
- to make somebody angry or full of horror
- His hypocrisy makes me sick.
- Her attitude makes me sick.
(as) sick as a dog
- (informal) feeling very sick; vomiting a lot
(as) sick as a parrot
- (British English, humorous) very disappointedTopics Feelingsc2
sick at heart
- (formal) very unhappy or disappointedTopics Feelingsc2
sick to your stomach
- feeling very angry or worried
- Nora turned sick to her stomach on hearing this news.
- It makes me sick to my stomach to hear such stupid attitudes.
- feeling that you want to vomit
Check pronunciation:
sick