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
Related Words
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
- underpain noun
- unpaining adjective
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”
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.
That’s what actors and the stories they tell, give us — the joy, and sometimes the pain: A world of strangers, united in this awful moment, out of love for Catherine O’Hara.
From Los Angeles Times
Even with such fears easing, the sharp retreat in metals prices may have created some pain in the markets.
From MarketWatch
Like many Arsenal fans, the pain of missing out for three successive years, and not winning any trophy since the 2020 FA Cup, is a factor in why things feel so desperate.
From BBC
He flew straight into a painting of a glum man on a glummer horse, put a claw through the man’s nose, and dropped to the windowsill, peeping in pain and fear.
From Literature
We take our seats and I note the pained, worried pucker of my brother’s forehead.
From Literature
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.
