out sick
13
3.4
- idiom
- US
:
ausente por enfermedad
- He's been out sick for two days.
Examples
-
I was out sick yesterday, which, along with some vomiting, meant some time spent on the couch and in front of the television.
Blog text (34) -
The director's out sick today, so she'll want to see you first thing tomorrow.
-
How many days were you out sick last year?
Academic text (1996) -
The producer was out sick.
Fiction book (1991) -
Yeah, she's out sick today.
-
Dr. Milinov is out sick.
-
I'm just covering 'cause Jing's out sick.
-
People were out sick.
-
Johnson's still out sick.
-
The director is out sick, like the rest of the staff.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
Not well because of illness
1
8.3
Away from work because you are ill
Antonyms
How Sick
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'absent because of illness' is directly and compositionally derived from 'out' (away/not present) + 'sick' (ill), so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer the phrase. This pattern (being 'out' due to a specified reason) is common in English and has clear equivalents in many languages, supporting full transparency.
Etymology
Out sick comes from the simple image of someone being out of their usual place because they are sick. Think of an empty desk or classroom with a note that a person is unwell, so out sick means 'absent from work or school because of illness'.