ail
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
verb
-
(tr) to trouble; afflict
-
(intr) to feel unwell
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
ailsimple
-
ailssimple
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have ailedperfect
-
has ailedperfect
-
am ailingprogressive
-
are ailingprogressive
-
is ailingprogressive
-
have been ailingperfect progressive
-
has been ailingperfect progressive
Past
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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
That’s on top of parts and raw material shortages that already ail regional manufacturing because of supply disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 28, 2021
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
“Now grant protection to Terabithia, to ail its people, and to us its rulers.”
From "Bridge to Terabithia" by Katherine Paterson
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
Inexorably, Mr. McCarthy drives toward the view that what ails American men is the macho belief that men should always have their guard up, never complaining or revealing what’s going on inside.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 14, 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
What Bondi is doing in Washington isn’t a cure for what ails it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2025
“What ails you, boy? Are you asleep, or struck dumb?”
From "The Golden Goblet" by Eloise Jarvis McGraw
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
“Fix anything. Could sense what ailed a car. Good with his hands. And he could sing. Sang the old-timey songs while he worked. Lord, he could sing. You take after him that way, son?”
From "The Serpent King" by Jeff Zentner
Similarly, Likho, a one-eyed Russian Blue, also was ailing when Kobilha took him in at 8 years old, but she wanted him anyhow.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
Instead of a caregiving crisis bringing families together out of shared love for an ailing parent, it’s tearing many of them apart.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026
Intimate queries such as “How do I take care of my ailing relative?” don’t belong in a shared chatbot account, he says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026
Relatedly, it has seemed Pinterest always has an area of advertiser demand that’s ailing just enough to curb growth.
From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026
And when the weather became warm, he moved into a health and rehabilitation center, not because he was ailing but because the facility had a swimming pool and a gym where he could work out.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
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.
