Under the weather means feeling slightly ill or unwell. Despite the words, the idiom says nothing about the weather; it is only about how you feel. People use it for a mild illness such as a cold or a headache. The expression is conversational: it fits a chat or a short message to a colleague, but it isn't used in IELTS essays.
When would you say under the weather?
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feel/be + (a bit) under the weather; look + under the weather
- I'm a bit under the weather today, so I'll work from home.
- I missed Tuesday's class because I was feeling under the weather.
- Our guide looked a bit under the weather after the night flight, so we started the tour later.
What changed
First versionI feel myself a bit under the weather today.
RevisionI feel a bit under the weather today.
When feel is followed by a description of how you are, English doesn't use myself: I feel tired, I feel under the weather. There is only one correction: the extra myself was removed.
The idiom describes a mild illness. If someone is seriously ill or has been ill for a long time, say ill or sick: My grandmother has been seriously ill since March. Calling that under the weather would be a big understatement.
Your turn
Anna has a sore throat and a slight temperature, so she's feeling ___ today.
Show the answer
under the weather — A sore throat and a temperature suggest a cold, so Anna is slightly ill: under the weather. Over the moon means “extremely happy”, and that's not how people usually feel with a cold.
Write a short message to a colleague or teacher saying that you're not feeling well. Say what's bothering you and suggest what to do about your work or lesson.
I'm feeling under the weather with a bad headache, so could we move our lesson to Thursday?
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