: having or suffering from an illness or injury
providing care for his ailing mother
trying to rest her ailing knee/back
a person in ailing health
—often used figurativelyan ailing company
an ailing economy
Examples of ailing in a Sentence
when his ailing wife had to go to a nursing home, he visited her every day
he was ailing from some sort of infection in his eye that made it look all red and puffy
Recent Examples on the Web
Ready was tasked with turning around an ailing social media platform, with a $93 million net operating loss, a dwindling Gen X and baby boomer user base, and very little avenue for growth with younger generations.
—
Lucy Maguire, Vogue, 5 Jan. 2026
The only Celtic not subbed out was Gonzalez, who started the second half over Josh Minott (Boston’s initial replacement for the ailing Jordan Walsh, who missed the game with an illness).
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 23 Dec. 2025
More recently, Cohn worked on The Etruscan Smile (2018), starring Brian Cox as an ailing Scotsman who reunites with his estranged son (JJ Field).
—Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 12 Dec. 2025
An ailing brother wanted to give his sister a 1-acre plot of land in Arizona.
—Lorenzino Estrada, AZCentral.com, 9 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ailing
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Lucy Maguire, Vogue, 5 Jan. 2026
The only Celtic not subbed out was Gonzalez, who started the second half over Josh Minott (Boston’s initial replacement for the ailing Jordan Walsh, who missed the game with an illness).
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 23 Dec. 2025
More recently, Cohn worked on The Etruscan Smile (2018), starring Brian Cox as an ailing Scotsman who reunites with his estranged son (JJ Field).
—Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 12 Dec. 2025
An ailing brother wanted to give his sister a 1-acre plot of land in Arizona.
—Lorenzino Estrada, AZCentral.com, 9 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ailing
Cite this Entry
“Ailing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ailing. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share