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.
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
One statement said it all when it came to what ails the Bruins most in their bid for a breakthrough.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 7, 2024
That said, I’m not quite naive enough to believe that wading into a river with my fly rod has some greater meaning, or that it can cure everything that ails us.
From Seattle Times • May 10, 2024
“Mercy,” said Sir Meliagrance, “what ails you, Ma’am, to sleep so long?”
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
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.
