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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 they are sometimes prescribed to treat coughs, earache and sore throats, on which they have little or no effect.

From BBC • Nov. 16, 2021

Vrabel told reporters he had a sore throat and an earache.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 22, 2021

Faith asks me how my ears are feeling, and it takes me a second to remember my earache.

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