I. ill 1 S3 W2 /ɪl/ BrE AmE adjective
[ Date: 1100-1200 ; Language: Old Norse ; Origin: illr ]
1 . especially British English suffering from a disease or not feeling well SYN sick American English :
Bridget can’t come – she’s ill.
I was feeling ill that day and decided to stay at home.
ill with
Her husband has been ill with bladder trouble.
a hospice for the terminally ill
2 . [only before noun] bad or harmful:
Many people consumed the poisoned oil without ill effects.
the neglect and ill treatment of children
He was unable to join the army because of ill health.
3 . ill at ease nervous, uncomfortable, or embarrassed:
He always felt shy and ill at ease at parties.
4 . it’s an ill wind (that blows nobody any good) spoken used to say that every problem brings an advantage for someone
⇨ ↑ ill feeling , ↑ ill will
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COLLOCATIONS
■ verbs
▪ be ill
What’s wrong? Are you ill?
▪ feel ill
I’ve been feeling ill since I woke up this morning.
▪ look ill
He looked rather ill when I saw him.
▪ become ill ( also get ill informal )
She became ill after eating oysters.
▪ fall ill formal (=become ill)
Louise fell ill while she was on holiday.
▪ be taken ill (=become ill suddenly)
Henry was suddenly taken ill and had to go to the hospital.
▪ make somebody ill
I think it was the heat that made me ill.
■ adverbs
▪ seriously ill (=very ill)
Any seriously ill patients are usually sent to a state hospital.
▪ gravely ill formal (=extremely ill)
She went to visit her grandfather, who was gravely ill.
▪ critically ill (=so ill that you might die)
He got news that his mother was critically ill in hospital.
▪ terminally ill (=having a very serious illness that you will die from)
He is terminally ill with cancer.
▪ chronically ill (=having a long-term illness that cannot be cured and will not get better)
Chronically ill patients often find it difficult to get travel insurance.
▪ mentally ill (=having an illness of your mind)
Caring for mentally ill people can be challenging.
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THESAURUS
▪ ill [not before noun] especially British English suffering from a disease or not feeling well:
Her mother is seriously ill in hospital.
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I woke up feeling really ill.
▪ sick especially American English ill:
She’s been sick with the flu.
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a sick child
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Dan got sick on vacation.
▪ not very well [not before noun] ill, but not seriously ill:
Sarah’s not very well – she has a throat infection.
▪ unwell [not before noun] formal ill:
The singer had been unwell for some time.
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Symptoms include fever, aching muscles, and feeling generally unwell.
▪ poorly [not before noun] British English spoken ill:
Your grandmother’s been very poorly lately.
▪ in a bad way [not before noun] very ill because of a serious injury or disease:
You’d better call an ambulance – she looks like she’s in a bad way.
▪ be off sick British English , be out sick American English to be not at work because of an illness:
Two teachers were off sick yesterday.
■ slightly ill
▪ under the weather ( also off colour British English ) [not before noun] informal slightly ill:
Sorry I haven’t called you – I’ve been a bit under the weather lately.
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You look a bit off colour – are you sure you’re OK?
▪ run down [not before noun] feeling slightly ill and tired all the time, for example because you have been working too hard, or not eating well:
Some people take extra vitamins if they are feeling run down.
■ often ill
▪ in poor health unhealthy and often ill:
Chopin was already in poor health when he arrived on the island.
▪ delicate weak and likely to become ill easily:
She was delicate and pale and frequently complained of headaches.
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He had a delicate constitution and throughout his adult life suffered from various illnesses.
▪ sickly a sickly child is often ill:
He was a sickly child and spent a lot of time at home on his own.
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His younger daughter was sickly and died when she was young.
II. ill 2 BrE AmE adverb
1 . somebody can ill afford (to do) something to be unable to do or have something without making the situation you are in very difficult:
I was losing weight which I could ill afford to lose.
Most gamblers can ill afford their habit.
2 . think/speak ill of somebody formal to think or say unpleasant things about someone:
She really believes you should never speak ill of the dead.
3 . bode ill formal to give you a reason to think that something bad will happen:
The look on his face boded ill for somebody.
III. ill 3 BrE AmE noun
1 . ills [plural] problems and difficulties:
He wants to cure all the ills of the world.
2 . [uncountable] formal harm, evil, or bad luck:
She did not like Matthew but she would never wish him ill.