pain
Americannoun
-
pains
plural
-
physical suffering or distress, as due to injury, illness, etc.
-
a distressing sensation in a particular part of the body.
a back pain.
-
mental or emotional suffering or torment.
I am sorry my news causes you such pain.
-
pains,
-
laborious or careful efforts; assiduous care.
Great pains have been taken to repair the engine perfectly.
-
the suffering of childbirth.
-
-
Informal. an annoying or troublesome person or thing.
verb (used with object)
-
pains,
present (3rd person singular)
-
pained,
past participle, past
-
paining
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
pains,
present (3rd person singular)
-
pained,
past participle, past
-
paining
present participle
noun
-
the sensation of acute physical hurt or discomfort caused by injury, illness, etc
-
emotional suffering or mental distress
-
subject to the penalty of
-
Also called: pain in the neck, pain in the arse. informal a person or thing that is a nuisance
verb
-
to cause (a person) distress, hurt, grief, anxiety, etc
-
informal to annoy; irritate
Synonym Usage
Pain , ache , agony , anguish are terms for sensations causing suffering or torment. Pain and ache usually refer to physical sensations (except heartache ); agony and anguish may be physical or mental. Pain suggests a sudden sharp twinge: a pain in one's ankle. Ache applies to a continuous pain, whether acute or dull: headache; muscular aches. Agony implies a continuous, excruciating, scarcely endurable pain: in agony from a wound. Anguish suggests not only extreme and long-continued pain, but also a feeling of despair. See care.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
painsimple
-
painssimple
-
have painedperfect
-
has painedperfect
-
am painingprogressive
-
are painingprogressive
-
is painingprogressive
-
have been painingperfect progressive
-
has been painingperfect progressive
Past
-
painedsimple
-
had painedperfect
-
was painingprogressive
-
were painingprogressive
-
had been painingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of pain
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English peine “punishment, torture, pain,” from Old French, from Latin poena “penalty, pain,” from Greek poinḗ “penalty”
Explanation
If you feel pain, you feel acute physical or emotional discomfort. A sprained ankle will pain you. So will news of a loved one's death. If you "take pain" over something, it means you're being careful. An annoying person can be described as a pain––it's understood that they don't cause you actual physical pain, but cause you emotional discomfort and distress. You can also describe this person as a "pain in the neck," "a pain in the butt," or "a royal pain."
Vocabulary lists containing pain
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.
See Examples For:
The pain wasn’t so sharp, as the foot was numb, but it felt strange.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
Australian leader Anthony Albanese has expressed his condolences, saying the country would never forget those who "continue to carry the pain" of last year's attacks.
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026
I take nothing away from, nor mean to diminish, the importance or pain of any victim, their story or their point of view.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2026
CEO Elon Musk is feeling the pain alongside the average investor.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 5, 2026
As his heartbeats returned to normal, the pain of his fever came surging back.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
In an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper on Thursday, Hinojosa took pains to say that her policies are pro-business.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 6, 2026
"Anyone with fever, unusual tiredness, muscle or joint pains, vomiting, diarrhoea or unexplained bleeding should seek care promptly at the nearest health facility," Kenya's health ministry said.
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026
Students navigated race, politics, relationships and the growing pains of young adulthood at a historically Black college.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2026
Also on the agenda is the president’s third-country removal policy and the growing pains of SCOTUSblog.
From Slate ● Oct. 8, 2026
They were men and women like them, with straight hair and dark skin, who spoke the same language and complained of the same pains.
From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Her early music took off on TikTok during the pandemic, where she honed a sound just askew of the pained songwriter fare and exuberant electro-pop that defined that era.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2026
"I want to give my son a dignified burial. I am deeply pained."
From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026
Pradhan announced his resignation on X in a post in Hindi saying he "respected the aspirations, dreams, and expectations of the youth" and was "pained by the events" of the past few days.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
Dark pigment pushed into claw-like scratches feels like a peek into a figure’s spiritual void; fleshy hues bring out nicks and lines that enliven characters’ faces—some pained, others contemplative.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
She stops and looks more pained than excited.
From "Ask the Passengers" by A.S. King
A second person said: "The bolt challenge is paining me because it’s innocent and hardworking people on both sides that are suffering for the wickedness and thoughtlessness of other people. Really unfair."
From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2024
“She can feel pain, and she starts crying, saying, ‘It is here and it is rising and it is paining here and here.'”
From Seattle Times ● May 11, 2024
“Oh, it was a hurting, paining feeling going through my heart to know that something like that would happen on this street.”
From Fox News ● Aug. 10, 2019
Your silhouette appears on the paining, sometimes surrounded by a glowing aura.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2019
Tica massaged her back, which was clearly paining her.
From "The Ugly One" by Leanne Statland Ellis
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
