ail

[eyl]

verb (used with object)

1. to cause pain, uneasiness, or trouble to.

   Inside our own bodies lies the most powerful cure for what ails us—our immune systems.

   He thinks lowering taxes is the answer to all that ails our economy.

   Synonyms: distress, annoy, bother

verb (used without object)

1. to be unwell; feel pain; be ill.

   He's been ailing for some time.

ail

/ eɪl /

verb

1. (tr) to trouble; afflict

2. (intr) to feel unwell

Word History and Origins

Origin of ail¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of ail¹

Old English eglan to trouble, from egle troublesome, painful, related to Gothic agls shameful

Example Sentences

Support for Reform might be thought to be simply a protest vote by an electorate fed up with slow growth, an ailing health service, and high levels of immigration.

From BBC

Winston, a beloved and ailing gorilla believed to have been the second-oldest in a U.S. zoo, died Saturday, park officials said.

From Los Angeles Times

What Bondi is doing in Washington isn’t a cure for what ails it.

From Los Angeles Times

Rather than a functioning republic, we are an ailing, flailing, perhaps even failing empire.

From Salon

All of these results are much needed for Scotland's ailing co-efficient.

From BBC

Related Words

• afflict 
• bother