ail

[ eyl ]

/ eɪl /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR ail ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

to cause pain, uneasiness, or trouble to.

verb (used without object)

to be unwell; feel pain; be ill: He's been ailing for some time.

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Origin of ail

before 950; Middle English ail, eilen, Old English eglan to afflict (cognate with Middle Low German egelen annoy, Gothic -agljan), derivative of egle painful; akin to Gothic agls shameful, Sanskrit aghám evil, pain

SYNONYMS FOR ail

1 bother, annoy, distress.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR ail ON THESAURUS.COM

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH ail

ale ail awl

Words nearby ail

aiguillette, aih, aiken, aikido, aikona, ail, ailanthus, ailanthus silkworm, aileen, aileron, aileron roll

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for ail

Life iz like a mug ov beer, froth at the top, ail in the middle, and settlings at the bottom.
The Complete Works of Josh Billings|Henry W. Shaw
Somethin' seemed to ail him and he couldn't make out what 'twas.
Thankful's Inheritance|Joseph C. Lincoln
Adjectives in ail derived from Nouns; as, from fear man, fearail manful; from caraid a friend, cairdail contr.
Elements of Gaelic Grammar|Alexander Stewart
But Cecilia, when she began to fear that something did ail him, did not find it very easy to tell Florence all the truth.
The Claverings|Anthony Trollope

I trust I may be justified in telling thee that there is not much to ail my girl.
Marion Fay|Anthony Trollope

British Dictionary definitions for ail

ail

/ (eɪl) /

verb

(tr) to trouble; afflict

(intr) to feel unwell

Word Origin for ail

Old English eglan to trouble, from egle troublesome, painful, related to Gothic agls shameful

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012