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:
Such cycles of competition are known in China as involution, and they have transformed the country from a golden goose into a major headache for companies including Nike and Starbucks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
Dwindling global refinery capacity is threatening to turn what started as a Middle East oil-supply crisis into a more complex global oil headache impacting gasoline, diesel and other fuels.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 8, 2026
She sprang from Zeus’ skull fully formed; her embryonic development reduced to a male deity’s headache.
From Salon ● Sep. 3, 2026
He said his wife had travelled to Egypt to help her mother with "all the headache" relating to this.
From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026
The brain freeze recedes into a dull headache that knocks at the back of my head.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
Too much can cause headaches, jitters, a racing heart and restless nights.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
Fragrances like air fresheners can trigger headaches, coughing or dizziness.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
I’d love to hear any practical suggestions for structuring this so that it is easy for the restaurant, seamless for the staff and customers, and doesn’t create unnecessary headaches for anyone.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 11, 2026
The rare but benign condition impacted her balance and caused headaches.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
Each time she had backaches, headaches, cramps, and then—of course—no baby.
From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng
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.
