: 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
John Stamos will meet Jesus face-to-face on stage at the Hollywood Bowl this weekend, replacing the ailing Josh Gad as King Herod.
—
Maureen Lee Lenker Published, EW.com, 1 Aug. 2025
The Atlanta Braves, one day after acquiring pitcher Erick Fedde from the St. Louis Cardinals, have acquired another starter to boost their ailing rotation.
—Jon Paul Hoornstra, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 July 2025
Layla’s final days on Earth were marred by sadistic suffering — cowering in terror beneath furniture while her ailing heart struggled against the Blue Angels' relentless noise pollution.
—Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 24 July 2025
In a semifinal that fell well short of its billing, Sinner plowed through an ailing Novak Djokovic 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 to set up another Grand Slam final against Alcaraz, who beat him in over five hours and five sets of electric tennis in Paris.
—The Athletic Tennis Staff, New York Times, 11 July 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.
Maureen Lee Lenker Published, EW.com, 1 Aug. 2025
The Atlanta Braves, one day after acquiring pitcher Erick Fedde from the St. Louis Cardinals, have acquired another starter to boost their ailing rotation.
—Jon Paul Hoornstra, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 July 2025
Layla’s final days on Earth were marred by sadistic suffering — cowering in terror beneath furniture while her ailing heart struggled against the Blue Angels' relentless noise pollution.
—Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 24 July 2025
In a semifinal that fell well short of its billing, Sinner plowed through an ailing Novak Djokovic 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 to set up another Grand Slam final against Alcaraz, who beat him in over five hours and five sets of electric tennis in Paris.
—The Athletic Tennis Staff, New York Times, 11 July 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 22 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share