Meanings
adjectiveout sick (not comparable)
- USidiomaticnot comparableAbsent from work due to an illness.
“We didn't think it was right that an executive should get paid when he's out sick while a production worker gets docked." Being fair has paid off for American Steel.
1989, CFO.1 more example
Picture the grilling you'll get ahead of time, to anticipate questions that don't arise in typical job interviews: “If you're out sick, will your partner cover for you? What if one of you quits?”
1982, Cosmopolitan
Cite this entry
APA
out sick. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/out%20sick
MLA
“out sick.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/out%20sick. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “out sick,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/out%20sick.
Source: out sick on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.