🤒 Unwell 😠 Strong negative feeling 🤢 Feeling nauseous 😎 Very impressive 🏥 Ill people 🐕 To urge to attack 🥴 To make ill 🤮 To vomit

sick

5 1.0

People who are ill and need care

noun
/sɪk/

: enfermos

After the battle, a United States intelligence officer bringing badly needed drugs for the sick found the artist lying in a dim corner in need of insulin.

We're not like Jesus healing the sick, Jesus doing this, Paul, it's there.

Examples

Although bringing flowers to the sick is an old custom, it remains popular.

Academic text (2015)
The Lord says let the sick be healed, let the poor be rich and let the broken hearted be renewed.

The Lucky Man (2018)
Does your medical insurance cover in home care for your sick mother or not?
A haven for the sick of soul and body.

Legend of the Lost (1957)
And where there were more people sick, they sent more doctors.
People are sick, people are dying, people are sick and families are crying.
I say for the average family, when somebody's sick, they go to a doctor.
According to Taijin, the sick were being sent home to die.
A monk known for his abilities to help the sick gave her books on Buddhism and attempted to prevent her from brooding.

Academic text (1997)
The hospital provided a dedicated ward for the sick who needed special care.

Idioms

sick of

Informal

522 5.8

Tired of something because you have had too much of it

sick and tired

Informal

117 5.3

Feeling very annoyed because you have had too much of something

going to be sick

31 3.0

Feeling like you will throw up

out sick

13 3.4

Away from work or school because you are ill

on the sick

1 8.3

Away from work because you are ill

sick as a parrot

9.3

Very disappointed and upset because things did not turn out well

sick to the back teeth

8.7

Very annoyed and no longer willing to accept someone or something

Compounds

sick person

55 1.0

A person who is ill

sick leave

14 2.4

A period away from work because a worker is ill

sick joke

Offensive

12 7.9

A joke about cruel or shocking things that many people find upsetting

sick bed

2 2.5

A bed where a person lies when they are ill or recovering

sick headache

Archaic

1 6.5

A severe headache that often makes you feel sick and unable to concentrate

sick bag

1 2.5

A small disposable bag on planes for passengers to throw up into

sick call

Jargon

1 5.7

A set time when soldiers report to a medic if ill

sick pay

1 2.3

Money a worker receives while they are off work because they are sick

sick list

Archaic

1 4.8

A list of people not at work because they are ill

anointing of the sick

8.9

A Roman Catholic ritual where a priest puts oil on a very sick person and prays for comfort

air sick

4.6

Feeling sick or dizzy when flying

milk-sick

Archaic

9.9

Sick after eating meat or drinking milk from animals that eat poisonous plants

pig-sick

Informal

9.8

Very ill or very fed up with something

sick benefit

3.2

Money the government pays to someone who cannot work because they are ill

sick berth

7.5

A room on a ship where staff treat people who are ill or injured

sick parade

Jargon

8.2

A daily military meeting where soldiers report illnesses to a doctor

sick-abed

Archaic

9.9

Lying in bed because you are ill

sick-out

Literature

8.2

A group of workers who call in sick to protest and ask for change

sick-out

7.7

Many people are absent from work or school because they are sick, causing big problems

Surface Forms

sick singular

sick plural

Etymology

Sick as a noun simply uses the adjective for a group, so 'the sick' means 'the people who are ill', just like 'the rich' means 'the people who are rich'.