headache
Americannoun
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headaches
plural
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a pain located in the head, as over the eyes, at the temples, or at the base of the skull.
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an annoying or bothersome person, situation, activity, etc.
noun
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Technical name: cephalalgia. pain in the head, caused by dilation of cerebral arteries, muscle contraction, insufficient oxygen in the cerebral blood, reaction to drugs, etc
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informal any cause of worry, difficulty, or annoyance
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Pain in the head, caused by stimulation of or pressure to any of various structures of the head, such as tissue covering the cranium, cranial nerves, or blood vessels. Headache can be a primary disorder, as in migraine or cluster headaches, or a common symptom associated with head injury or many illnesses such as acute infection, brain tumor or abscess, eye disorders such as glaucoma, dental disease, and hypertension.
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See also cluster headache migraine
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of headache
before 1000; Middle English; Old English hēafodece. See head, ache
Compare meaning
How does headache compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
A headache is a pain or ache in your head, especially one that lasts longer than a few minutes. You might get a headache after a day of staring at a computer screen. There are many reasons for getting a headache, from staying up too late to a stressful day to skipping your morning cup of coffee. A more serious type of headache, like a migraine, might keep you home from work for a day, but most headaches are just a nuisance. You can also describe a problem or struggle as a figurative headache: "Learning Danish is turning out to be a real headache." In Old English, the word was heafodece.
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:
Symptoms similar to the flu or malaria, including fever, headache and tiredness, can begin suddenly.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
Salmonella infection could result in diarrhea, nausea, headache and stomach cramps.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
Each of these viruses comes with a raft of symptoms ranging from unpleasant to, in some cases, fatal—fever, headache, muscle and joint pain, shock, organ failure.
From Slate ● Aug. 4, 2026
The outage deepens a pre-existing economic headache for Magyar, who is under pressure to reduce a fiscal deficit and boost growth after ousting long-serving premier Viktor Orbán in April.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
The first signs of malaria include a teeth-chattering chill along with a pounding headache, followed by a dangerously high fever, and then profuse sweating.
From "Death on the River of Doubt" by Samantha Seiple
In a survey by Dr Nicola Brink - Guernsey's Medical Officer of Health and Director of Public Health - housing, cost of living and transport were big headaches for the future.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
He is among the investors giving headaches to the money managers who want them to part way with their cash.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
His healthcare providers were stumped by his symptoms: a fever, rash, and intense headaches.
From Slate ● Aug. 6, 2026
But under million-dollar luxury apartments chilled by whirling air conditioners, tenants in one of Seoul's last shanty towns suffer headaches in the savage heat.
From Barron's ● Aug. 4, 2026
“You have these headaches too often,” he says.
From "The Sound and the Fury" by William Faulkner
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.
