(~s)
Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English.
1.
Someone who is ~ is suffering from a disease or a health problem.
In November 1941 Payne was seriously ~ with pneumonia...
ADJ: usu v-link ADJ
•
People who are ~ in some way can be referred to as, for example, the mentally ~.
I used to work with the mentally ~...
N-PLURAL: the adv N
2.
Difficulties and problems are sometimes referred to as ~s. (FORMAL)
His critics maintain that he’s responsible for many of Algeria’s ~s.
N-COUNT: usu pl, usu with supp
3.
Ill is evil or harm. (LITERARY)
They say they mean you no ~.
N-UNCOUNT
4.
Ill means the same as ‘badly’. (FORMAL)
The company’s conservative instincts sit ~ with competition.
ADV: ADV with v
5.
You can use ~ in front of some nouns to indicate that you are referring to something harmful or unpleasant. (FORMAL)
She had brought ~ luck into her family...
= bad
ADJ: ADJ n
6.
If you say that someone can ~ afford to do something, or can ~ afford something, you mean that they must prevent it from happening because it would be harmful or embarrassing to them. (FORMAL)
It’s possible he won’t play but I can ~ afford to lose him...
PHRASE: PHR to-inf, PHR n
7.
If you fall ~ or are taken ~, you suddenly become ~.
Shortly before Christmas, he was mysteriously taken ~...
PHRASE: V inflects
8.
to speak ~ of someone : see speak