Ill or sick?
Ill and sick are both adjectives that mean ‘not in good health’. We use both ill and sick after a verb such as be, become, feel, look or seem: I was ill for a time last year, but I’m fine now.
Nancy looks ill. I wonder what’s wrong with her.
I felt sick and had to go home at lunchtime.
We can use sick before a noun but we don’t normally use ill before a noun: She’s been looking after a sick child this week, so she’s not at work.
Not: … an ill child …
Note that to be sick means ‘to vomit’ in British English. In American English it means more generally ‘to be unwell’.
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