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earache

American

[eer-eyk] / ˈɪərˌeɪk /

noun

pain in the ear; otalgia.

earache British

/ ˈɪərˌeɪk /

noun

Technical name: otalgia. pain in the middle or inner ear Compare otitis

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of earache

First recorded in 1650–60; ear ¹ + ache

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.

Antibiotic use is driven largely by common colds, which produce secondary bacterial things like sore throat, earache, nasal congestion, sinusitis.

From Slate • Oct. 8, 2025

One takeaway, Nittrouer says, is for parents, physicians, and speech pathologists to continue monitoring children long after the last preschool earache fades away.

From Science Daily • Jan. 3, 2024

But his symptoms worsened and when he attended the GP with a swollen throat and a painful earache, he was immediately sent to the A&E for blood tests.

From BBC • Sep. 29, 2023

“My grandson coughs in the evening, and it’s terrible,” said Brown, a Realtor who has battled headaches, a sore throat and an earache.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 25, 2021

“I have an earache that just won’t go away.”

From "A Mango-Shaped Space" by Wendy Mass

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023