migraine
Americannoun
-
migraines
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of migraine
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English, from Middle French, from Late Latin hēmicrānia hemicrania; cf. megrim
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How does migraine compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
A migraine is a severe headache. When you get a migraine, you'll probably want to stay in bed, in a dark room, until it passes. When you get a headache that's so painful that you can't work or function, you've probably got a migraine. It's usually women who get migraines, and you are either a person who gets migraines throughout your life, or you never get one at all. Migraines often come with side effects like nausea and blurred vision, and they often affect just one side of the head. The word comes from the Greek hemi-, "half" and kranion, "skull."
Vocabulary lists containing migraine
Before the Ever After
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Planet Middle School
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The Lions of Little Rock
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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:
What they got was a nerve-shredding night, a 90-minute rollercoaster ride, an evening to bring on a migraine.
From BBC ● Jun. 14, 2026
Roughly 3% of adults are also affected by vestibular migraine, a condition where migraine causes dizziness or vertigo even without a headache.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 15, 2026
Pfizer acquired the migraine medication through its purchase of Biohaven Pharmaceuticals in 2022.
From Barron's ● Feb. 3, 2026
They had 14% higher odds of reporting two or more conditions, including migraine, back problems, cancer, epilepsy or diabetes.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 24, 2026
He knew what migraine meant because sometimes his mother had one, only she called it my-grain and Dr. Relf had called it me-grain.
From "The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage" by Philip Pullman
She has now been waiting 21 months for that procedure, but has also been referred to see specialists for her bowel, bladder and migraines, as well as an ultrasound and MRI.
From BBC ● Apr. 22, 2026
The retired nurse, 82, said the pollution made her afraid to go out and aggravated her dizziness and migraines.
From Barron's ● Apr. 3, 2026
Problems with this channel have been linked to conditions such as chronic pain, migraines, dry eye and certain cancers.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 8, 2026
It also has access to LillyDirect, Eli Lilly & Co. digital platform for managing diabetes, obesity, and migraines.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 8, 2026
The dining-room table was on the verge of splintering, Clara was complaining of migraines, and Jaime was locked in his room with wax in his ears, trying to concentrate on his studies.
From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende
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.
