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.
Dunlap left JetBlue in 2018 after struggling with severe headaches that he said got worse with successive fume events, and which his FAA physician was concerned was connected to his exposure.
Real-estate agents say home sellers perceive FHA loans as a headache to deal with, in part because the loans come with certain requirements.
From MarketWatch
Proponents of space-based data centers believe they’ll allow the AI industry to avoid Earthly headaches, such as securing the energy needed to train AI models.
He still regularly gets bad headaches and avoids flying where he can.
However, there are bigger headaches at the moment.
From BBC
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.