- 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.
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
No amount of what-ifs, however, will fix what ails USC during its final three games.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 25, 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
Velma T. working on the cure-all for whatever ails you.
From "Moon Over Manifest" by Clare Vanderpool
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.
