: 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 figurativelyan 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
Mia agrees to let Max's ailing dog find solace with her newfound companion, in exchange for Max showing her the hidden gems of Seattle.
—
Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 24 Oct. 2024
Widespread concern The ailing property sector is widely believed to lie at the root of China’s numerous economic woes.
—Juliana Liu, CNN, 17 Oct. 2024
When an ailing Cohn finally confronts Trump for avoiding him, the encounter feels perfunctory, a mere interruption of an extended clip show.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 11 Oct. 2024
The ailing Roosevelt had spent much of early 1945 away from Washington, limiting his direct contact with Truman, outside of cabinet gatherings, to two inconsequential meetings.
—David Priess, Foreign Affairs, 26 Feb. 2016
See all Example Sentences for ailing 
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.
Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 24 Oct. 2024
Widespread concern The ailing property sector is widely believed to lie at the root of China’s numerous economic woes.
—Juliana Liu, CNN, 17 Oct. 2024
When an ailing Cohn finally confronts Trump for avoiding him, the encounter feels perfunctory, a mere interruption of an extended clip show.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 11 Oct. 2024
The ailing Roosevelt had spent much of early 1945 away from Washington, limiting his direct contact with Truman, outside of cabinet gatherings, to two inconsequential meetings.
—David Priess, Foreign Affairs, 26 Feb. 2016
See all Example Sentences for ailing
Dictionary Entries Near ailing
Cite this Entry
“Ailing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ailing. Accessed 25 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share