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

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH ail

ale, ail , awl

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use ail in a sentence

Franklin took the Middle Tennessee job that same year, to be closer to his ailing mother.
A college football coach’s season at war with the coronavirus — and his own school|Kent Babb|January 19, 2021|Washington Post
Although the Paycheck Protection Program was intended to help ailing small businesses, it did not require evidence of losses.
Debt collectors, payday lenders collected over $500 million in federal pandemic relief|Peter Whoriskey, Joel Jacobs, Aaron Gregg|January 15, 2021|Washington Post
Last summer, after several years with the business, I resigned from my position to care full-time for my ailing parents.
Miss Manners: How to ask indirectly about a missing gift|Judith Martin, Nicholas Martin, Jacobina Martin|January 7, 2021|Washington Post
Their immediate goal was to encourage the construction of new office buildings in the city’s ailing downtown, where much land sat undeveloped.
These Cities Tried to Tackle Disinvestment. Here Are Lessons From What Happened.|by Haru Coryne and Tony Briscoe|December 30, 2020|ProPublica

Most recently ABG has purchased Brooks Brothers, Forever 21 and Barneys — all ailing for their own set of reasons.
How Authentic Brands Group has positioned itself as the 2020 repo man|jim cooper|December 30, 2020|Digiday
It would be impossible to cure all that ailed the GOP in the course of a single calendar year.
GOP Report Turns One—Is it Worth Celebrating?|Kristen Soltis Anderson|March 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There was no cure for whatever ailed my mother that anybody knew about at the time.
Richard Russo Talks About New Memoir “Elsewhere” And His Mother’s Illness|Jane Ciabattari|November 12, 2012|DAILY BEAST
But I always suspected it was a stratagem on his part to avoid playing, and that nothing really ailed him.
Music-Study in Germany|Amy Fay
Both followed Edward out upon the veranda, asking anxiously what ailed mamma.
Elsie's Vacation and After Events|Martha Finley
Anne could not understand what ailed him, but feared some evil.
Emily Bront|A. Mary F. (Agnes Mary Frances) Robinson
My father was struck with the change, and inquired what ailed him.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine - Volume 62, No. 384, October 1847|Various
The man did not rally—and the professor could not say what ailed him.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine - Volume 55, No. 343, May 1844|Various

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

ail

OTHER WORDS FOR ail

Origin of ail

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH ail

Words related to ail

How to use ail in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for ail

Word Origin for ail