ail
verb (used with object)
to cause pain, uneasiness, or trouble to.
was ailing
-
past progressiveof ail.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
A rotting carpet of familiar fan-shaped leaves soon surrounded the tree, a sight so alarming Jung and her neighbours formed a crew of amateur detectives to solve the mystery: what was ailing their hardy ginkgo?
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
But it wasn’t until Lyon was ailing and his wife, Val, was incapacitated that a family member looking to confirm a beneficiary designation found no record of any updates to his plans.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026
In 2019, Ed was ailing, and Val was incapacitated.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 15, 2026
By the 1980s, Marcos was ailing, and it was becoming clear that his wife Imelda and her allies were not planning to keep Enrile in the future regime.
From Barron's ● Nov. 13, 2025
When Dr. Otten asked what was ailing Haupt, Wernecke rattled off Haupt's "symptoms."
From Nazi Saboteurs by Samantha Seiple
