ailed; ailing; ails
: to give physical or emotional pain, discomfort, or trouble to
His back has been ailing him.
It's good for what ails you.
What's ailing you?
: to have something the matter
an ailing economy
especially
: to suffer ill health
She has been ailing for years.
Examples of ail in a Sentence
Noun
half of the staff is out sick with the usual wintertime ails
Recent Examples on the Web
Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 May 2025
Turner, the Indiana Pacers' standout 3-and-D center, would be a perfect cure for what ails the Warriors around the rim — but, as Marks points out, Turner seems likely to have played himself into an incredibly lucrative new free agent deal this summer.
—Alex Kirschenbaum, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 May 2025
IEEE Spectrum, 27 June 2012
Instead, director Patrick Marber’s revival comes to Broadway at a time when these social ails have calcified and the art of the deal determines executive orders.
—Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 26 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ail
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Verb
Something to consider Moving guys around in the batting order is generally not the answer for what ails a team or a player.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 May 2025
Turner, the Indiana Pacers' standout 3-and-D center, would be a perfect cure for what ails the Warriors around the rim — but, as Marks points out, Turner seems likely to have played himself into an incredibly lucrative new free agent deal this summer.
—Alex Kirschenbaum, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 May 2025
Noun
What ails solar is a dearth of revolutionary innovations—either present or in the pipeline—that would make solar generation, distribution, and storage far less expensive and far more compatible with the existing grid.
—IEEE Spectrum, 27 June 2012
Instead, director Patrick Marber’s revival comes to Broadway at a time when these social ails have calcified and the art of the deal determines executive orders.
—Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 26 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ail
Cite this Entry
“Ail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ail. Accessed 29 May. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
ail
transitive verb
: to affect with a disease or physical or emotional pain or discomfort
what ails the patient
: to become affected with pain or discomfort : to suffer ill health
was ailing from a cold
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