Skip to main content
to sic

to sic

11 9.9
Tell a dog or person to attack someone
  • verb
  • /sɪk/
  • NSFW
translation icon : azuzar
  • How the hell can I see the picture? - Get 'em out of here! - Sic the dogs on 'em!
  • sic your dog
  • sic the hounds
  • threaten to sic

And there's too many people with huge, enormous platforms and followings online capable of sicking their followers on.

Examples

Synonyms

to set
vsto sic
  • NSFW
118 8.2

To make an animal or person attack someone

urges directly rather than merely encouraging or causing an attack
to sick
vsto sic
  • Offensive
3 9.5

To tell a dog to attack or chase someone

urges either animals or people to attack rather than only animals

Idioms

9.9

A Latin phrase meaning 'thus always to tyrants' that people say to show they are against cruel rulers

9.9

A Latin phrase meaning 'thus always to tyrants' that people say to show they are against cruel rulers

How Forceful

to sic
  • NSFW
11 9.9
to set on
  • Offensive
8 5.8
to command
307 2.7
to incite
  • NSFW
72 7.7
to instigate
36 6.9
to provoke
144 3.6

Surface Forms

sic infinitive
sicking present participle
sics third person singular
sicced past
sicced past participle

Etymology

Sic as a verb comes from an old command used to set dogs on someone, seen in the shout sic 'em which means 'go at them'. So to sic an animal or a person on someone is to urge it to attack.