pain
Americannoun
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physical suffering or distress, as due to injury, illness, etc.
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a distressing sensation in a particular part of the body.
a back pain.
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mental or emotional suffering or torment.
I am sorry my news causes you such pain.
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pains,
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laborious or careful efforts; assiduous care.
Great pains have been taken to repair the engine perfectly.
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the suffering of childbirth.
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Informal. an annoying or troublesome person or thing.
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
noun
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the sensation of acute physical hurt or discomfort caused by injury, illness, etc
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emotional suffering or mental distress
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subject to the penalty of
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Also called: pain in the neck. pain in the arse. informal a person or thing that is a nuisance
verb
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to cause (a person) distress, hurt, grief, anxiety, etc
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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
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painsimple
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painssimple
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have painedperfect
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has painedperfect
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am painingprogressive
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are painingprogressive
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is painingprogressive
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have been painingperfect progressive
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has been painingperfect progressive
Past
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painedsimple
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had painedperfect
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was painingprogressive
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were painingprogressive
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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:
"American families are feeling the pain of rising costs. Their American dream is getting further out of reach," she wrote.
From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026
Carlin Consumer Health CEO James Barickman said Amazon’s fee structure was a key consideration when it introduced its Mineral Ice Extreme cooling pain reliever with a $9.99 price tag in June.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
It is always noted that Iran has a capacity "to absorb pain".
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
Their signature heat comes from capsaicin, a natural compound that activates heat and pain sensing nerve receptors.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 14, 2026
He wished to take away all the pain his friends were feeling.
From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova
"More serious but less common symptoms include wheezing, chest pains or severe cough. If you think you are having a medical emergency, seek immediate medical assistance."
From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026
It sometimes took years for people to find out that their headaches or nosebleeds or breathing pains and nausea could be traced back to that business maybe only a few blocks away.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
JPMorgan took pains to test the model to only use information available on that date.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026
Saturday, D.C.’s Fire and EMS responded to a report of chest pains at a home on South Capitol Street, a few blocks south of the U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026
Bobby Gene and I took pains to assure Mom and Dad that Susie was probably perfectly fine and safe over at Cory Cormier’s place.
From "The Season of Styx Malone" by Kekla Magoon
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
As the memory of it washes back over you, “Omaha” lingers, like a devastating short story — devastating because it’s about a pained father for whom the road ahead only seems to get narrower.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2026
But since the pits closed almost four decades ago, residents describe a slow and pained decline as people struggled to get well-paid, stable employment.
From BBC ● Feb. 17, 2026
He could move with the grace of the tango aficionado he became or with the slow, pained gait of the cancer-ridden editor he played in “The Paper.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 16, 2026
But knowing her, we figured that what had pained her most was being alone.
From "Out of Darkness" by Ashley Hope Pérez
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
Roosevelt had more than just hunger paining him.
From "Death on the River of Doubt" by Samantha Seiple
Definitions 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.
