- present tense form of ail (3rd person singular).
ails
Americanverb
Etymology
Origin of ails
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.
So much of what ails higher education in the U.S. is rooted in a broken K-12 system that fails to prepare college-bound students adequately.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 16, 2026
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
“What ails you now? Come, do not sulk. The bad humors will make you ill.”
From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein
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.
