ailing

adjective

ail·​ing ˈā-liŋ How to pronounce ailing (audio)
: having or suffering from an illness or injury
providing care for his ailing mother
trying to rest her ailing knee/back
a person in ailing health
often used figuratively
an ailing company
an ailing economy

Examples of ailing in a Sentence

when his ailing wife had to go to a nursing home, he visited her every day he was ailing from some sort of infection in his eye that made it look all red and puffy
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
As Lee’s efforts to adopt and care for the seemingly ailing Piggy gained momentum — she's raised nearly $20,000 on GoFundMe — the Seattle native had to leave Spain. Ashley Vega, People.com, 16 Dec. 2024 One of Thompson’s signature innovations was to use a predictive algorithm to kick ailing and disabled Medicare patients out of nursing homes and rehabilitative programs, causing untold misery and penury. Jessica Winter, The New Yorker, 13 Dec. 2024 Helping build a financially ailing Tesla rival into a serious EV competitor would weaken Musk, who played a key role in evicting the Democrats from all branches of government this month. Chris Morris, Fortune, 29 Nov. 2024 From a farmer using a blow dryer to revive an ailing newborn chick to a doctor rescuing dogs from high-kill shelters across the U.S., here are some heartfelt moments between animals and humans. Saman Shafiq, USA TODAY, 12 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for ailing 

Word History

Etymology

from present participle of ail entry 1

First Known Use

1598, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of ailing was in 1598

Dictionary Entries Near ailing

Cite this Entry

“Ailing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ailing. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on ailing

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!