headache
Americannoun
-
a pain located in the head, as over the eyes, at the temples, or at the base of the skull.
-
an annoying or bothersome person, situation, activity, etc.
noun
-
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
-
informal any cause of worry, difficulty, or annoyance
-
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.
-
See also cluster headache migraine
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:
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.
Leaders generally prefer to keep employees where they can see them, but it is possible to spin remote work as a headache reducer for your would-be manager.
I woke up the next morning with a pounding headache and twice as sick as I had been the day before.
From Literature
Ostrover and Packer acknowledged that the fallout was causing headaches, according to people familiar with the call, and walked through their explanation of the firm’s moves.
Financial headaches, caused in part by the early-year struggles of Disneyland Paris, inspired Disney to change course.
From Los Angeles Times
CoStar Group has had its pick of headaches: pushback from activists, a depressed stock price, and an underwhelming start to the year for the housing market.
From Barron's
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.
