ail
Americanverb (used with object)
-
ails,
present (3rd person singular)
-
ailed,
past participle, past
-
ailing
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
ails,
present (3rd person singular)
-
ailed,
past participle, past
-
ailing
present participle
verb
-
(tr) to trouble; afflict
-
(intr) to feel unwell
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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ailsimple
-
ailssimple
-
have ailedperfect
-
has ailedperfect
-
am ailingprogressive
-
are ailingprogressive
-
is ailingprogressive
-
have been ailingperfect progressive
-
has been ailingperfect progressive
Past
-
ailedsimple
-
had ailedperfect
-
was ailingprogressive
-
were ailingprogressive
-
had been ailingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
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
Explanation
The verb ail means to be sick or unwell — or cause to be so. If you feel a general malaise, someone may ask what ails you, though you may just need a vacation from work or school. The verb ail is used for things that are metaphorically unwell or unhealthy. Politicians, for example, will often tell their constituents that the only cure for what ails the country is to vote for them. Ail is used when referring to non-specific illnesses. So you are sick with the flu, or troubled by allergies, but you are not ailing because you know what's wrong. It's when you're sick but it hasn't been diagnosed that you are ailing.
Vocabulary lists containing ail
Essential Three-Letter Words, Part 2
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Novel Study: The Crucible, Act 1
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Wolf Hollow
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Gies, who is around 60, said his motivation for creating Madison Air was his realization that “indoor air quality was horrible,” according to a Ret ail Roadshow.com presentation External link.
From Barron's ● Apr. 15, 2026
She chops old vanilla beans, mixes them with epsom salts, adds a splash of vanilla extract, and has bath salts that are wildly aromatic, calming, and good for all that might ail you.
From Salon ● Apr. 19, 2022
In taking that assessment this week, we should consider and discuss solutions to the issues that ail the on-field product.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 16, 2018
Removing the manager is not the solution to all that has ailed and looks like it will ail the Angels.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 29, 2016
He moved on to a harrowing career as ail exercise boy, then became a jockey.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
And you kind of need to really love L.A. to really fix what ails it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 2026
Former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani is hospitalized in "critical but stable condition," his spokesman said Sunday, without disclosing what ails the 81-year-old former politician.
From Barron's ● May 3, 2026
Still, a strong sequel has often proved a cure for what ails Hollywood, and the Thanksgiving weekend was no exception.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 1, 2025
Neither CEO Jim Farley nor your editorial board is wrong in diagnosing what ails our skilled workforce.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 28, 2025
"What ails you?" he said quietly, in the voice he used for the bukshah.
From "Rowan of Rin" by Emily Rodda
Maybe they thought that what ailed the Florida citrus could be cured with a little private-equity magic.
From Slate ● Apr. 20, 2026
For Belichick, they say, it's part love of the game, part love for coaching, and part an affliction that has ailed many great sports figures: an inability to know when to say goodbye.
From BBC ● Jan. 28, 2026
The cybersecurity company’s earnings and revenue forecast met analysts’ expectations but f ailed to impress investors.
From Barron's ● Nov. 20, 2025
It was the cure-all for every economic pain that ailed us.
From Salon ● Feb. 3, 2025
He gave up; the false cat had ceased functioning, so evidently the short—if that was what ailed the thing—had finished off the power supply and basic drive-train.
From "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick
Because of an ailing right knee, the Dodgers don’t really know what you might see out of Freddie Freeman this postseason.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
It’s sobering and painful work because people have died or are ailing.
From Salon ● Sep. 11, 2026
Elsewhere, "Posh finally makes some dosh" features next to a photo of Victoria Beckham, reporting on the improved fortunes of her previously ailing eponymous fashion label.
From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026
When Zhou died in January 1976, hundreds of thousands of mourners poured into Tiananmen Square with wreaths and poems, a spontaneous outpouring that the ailing Mao’s allies saw as a challenge to their authority.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026
If the brick was at the back, there were problems like wax moths or ailing queens.
From "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
