ails 1 of 2

noun

plural of ail
as in ailments
an abnormal state that disrupts a plant's or animal's normal bodily functioning half of the staff is out sick with the usual wintertime ails

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ails

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of ail
as in bothers
to trouble the mind of; to make uneasy parents who were at a loss to explain what was ailing their normally vivacious daughter

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of ails
Noun
City may well have believed that a summer break would cure their ails and time would simply consign last season’s mid-season collapse to room 101, but the rest of the league does not forget. — Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 1 Sep. 2025
Verb
Dave Dombrowski summoned his assistants, scouts and analysts — everyone and anyone — for daytime meetings followed by a ritual watching of whatever the latest thing is that ails this team. — Matt Gelb, New York Times, 1 Aug. 2026 Prescribing Tylenol to a patient who continually complains of back pain will not necessarily solve what ails them. — Chris Adams, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026 America at 250 seems stuck in a miasma of rival populisms that offer irreconcilable visions for curing what ails our country. — Will Marshall, Washington Post, 18 July 2026 Is gerontocracy the right diagnosis for what ails us? — Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 12 June 2026 Because the World Cup should be a temporary antidote to all that ails us. — Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 10 June 2026 Look into it—there's probably something that aims to ease whatever ails you. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 3 June 2026 Often, knowing what ails a patient is necessary but not sufficient for determining how to care for them. — Andrew Parsons, The Conversation, 1 June 2026 What ails Los Angeles County Foot traffic took a hit last summer. — Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 17 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ails
  1. ailments
  2. bothers
  3. diseases
  4. worries
  5. ills
  6. concerns
  7. illnesses
  8. disturbs
Noun
  • Medics treat heat stroke and other ailments from trailers while an announcer calls out an endless stream of names of people separated from their families.
    — Jane Arraf, NPR, 10 Aug. 2026
  • During his time in the minors, Mayer dealt with hip, back, shoulder and wrist ailments.
    — Justice delos Santos, Mercury News, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of ailments
Verb
  • My concern is what happens when the signal becomes so established that nobody bothers separating it from the qualities it was supposed to represent.
    — Jim Osman, Forbes.com, 9 Aug. 2026
  • The result is a bunch of people losing their jobs, which really bothers me.
    — Aaron Portzline, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of bothers
Noun
  • Pathogens are microorganisms known to cause numerous diseases in their host, meaning Bifidobacterium animalis may help fight certain diseases.
    — BestReviews, Chicago Tribune, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Splitting up and spreading out childhood vaccines would be a seismic shift for families and a complicated, costly pursuit for the country that would only leave more people vulnerable to preventable diseases.
    — Brenda Goodman, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of diseases
Verb
  • The risk worries Natalie Thorpe, whose 3-year-old daughter tested high for lead as a baby.
    — Chris Bowling, ProPublica, 10 Aug. 2026
  • County Commission Chairman Mark Jerrell worries the state’s plan will place a larger burden on larger counties such as Mecklenburg, which account for more of the state’s SNAP recipients.
    — Mary Ramsey, Charlotte Observer, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of worries
Noun
  • Alex Pantling/Getty Images What is clear is that no one thinks the changes enacted in either the Championship or League One are a resolution to the EFL’s marked financial ills.
    — Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Blaming billionaire wealth-hoarding for America’s ills would poll very well among the nation’s anthropology departments.
    — Gilad Edelman, The Atlantic, 19 July 2026
Definition of ills
Verb
  • By identifying exactly what the frustration concerns before reacting, leaders are more likely to channel emotion toward fixing broken systems instead of attacking individuals.
    — Rodger Dean Duncan, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Some users may not want their Twitch content used to train Amazon AI because of a lack of financial benefit, concerns that AI could cannibalize their business, or an aversion to the broader Amazon conglomerate.
    — Scharon Harding, ArsTechnica, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of concerns
Noun
  • Over the next 60 years, polio, measles, rubella, smallpox and other illnesses nearly vanished.
    — Dr. Marianne Parshley, Hartford Courant, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Doctors say severe cases are seen more often in elderly patients, people with weakened immune systems, and those with liver disease, diabetes and certain chronic illnesses.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of illnesses
Verb
  • Tilling or plowing in the summer disturbs the soil's delicate ecosystem and exposes moist soil to rapid water loss.
    — Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 24 June 2026
  • The pier in Michigan City’s Washington Park disturbs the natural flow of sand along the lakeshore, creating new land east of the pier but starving beaches to the west, an erosion problem repeated by other manmade structures that jut out into Lake Michigan.
    — Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 15 June 2026
Definition of disturbs

Browse Nearby Words

ailments
ails
aim
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Cite this Entry

“Ails.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ails. Accessed 16 Aug. 2026.

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