ache
Americanverb (used without object)
-
to have or suffer a continuous, dull pain.
His whole body ached.
- Synonyms:
- hurt
-
to feel great sympathy, pity, or the like.
Her heart ached for the starving animals.
-
to feel eager; yearn; long.
She ached to be the champion. He's just aching to get even.
noun
verb
-
to feel, suffer, or be the source of a continuous dull pain
-
to suffer mental anguish
noun
Synonym Usage
See pain.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
achesimple
-
achessimple
-
have achedperfect
-
has achedperfect
-
am achingprogressive
-
are achingprogressive
-
is achingprogressive
-
have been achingperfect progressive
-
has been achingperfect progressive
Past
-
achedsimple
-
had achedperfect
-
was achingprogressive
-
were achingprogressive
-
had been achingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of ache
before 900; (v.) Middle English aken, Old English acan; perhaps metaphoric use of earlier unattested sense “drive, impel” (compare Old Norse aka, cognate with Latin agere, Greek ágein ); (noun) derivative of the v.
Explanation
An ache is a dull, lingering pain. An ache in your calves after your morning jog might mean you didn't stretch enough before you started running. You might describe your discomfort as a head ache or a stomach ache — in either case, there's a throbbing or continuous pain. A non-physical hurt can also be called an ache, and you can use the word as a verb in either case: "It feels like my heart will ache forever, since my sweet cat died." The Old English root is acan, "to suffer pain," possibly from an imitative Proto-Indo-European word that sounds like a groan.
Vocabulary lists containing 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.
See Examples For:
"It's tough work... the hardest part is carrying the seaweed back. It's very heavy and your shoulders ache afterwards."
From Barron's ● Jun. 30, 2026
Good TV is the product of many hands working harmoniously to merge visuals, writing and performance into stories that breathe, laugh and ache along with you.
From Salon ● Jun. 20, 2026
In retrospect, taken collectively, much of McCarthy’s work as an actor, filmmaker and journalist hinges on the friendship motif — that primordial ache to belong, that yearning to be seen.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 25, 2026
"We cannot grieve; we can only ache and wonder. Our focus is solely on finding her and bringing her home."
From BBC ● Mar. 22, 2026
It made the boy’s insides ache, but in a strangely nice way, like how it felt to hold a kitten.
From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman
These include repeatedly waking up throughout the night to relieve himself and "stomach aches real bad".
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
About 20% of infected people will develop mild symptoms such as a fever, body aches and nausea.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
Common symptoms include fever, headache, muscle aches, and abdominal pain.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 22, 2026
Aspirin was introduced in 1899 for fevers and aches, and it quickly became one of the world’s most widely used drugs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 13, 2026
I turn from the group so their togetherness no longer aches my heart.
From "Without Refuge" by Jane Mitchell
She wrote that her heart ached most looking at a poster her three children made when they were young.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
Before Edward and Bella took over the world, “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” viewers ached for David Boreanaz’s Angel and James Marsters’ Spike, centuries-old bros who fall for a very special high school blonde.
From Salon ● Jun. 13, 2026
"My heart ached, and I could only pray: 'God, please don't let that happen.'"
From BBC ● Jan. 14, 2025
They think about the mixed martial arts workouts at a West Hollywood gym where they grappled, wrestled and tackled until their lungs burned and muscles ached.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 30, 2024
Despite all that had happened, my heart ached for her.
From "Root Magic" by Eden Royce
"My shifts at work landed on the same days, too. During my morning shower, I felt faint; I had to be realistic and call in sick. My body was completely exhausted, aching and cramping."
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
Injuries and exhaustion have him aching to retire.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2026
My feet were still aching when I boarded my flight home the next day.
From Slate ● Jun. 5, 2026
After months of dizziness and arms aching so badly she could barely walk her dog, Susan Glannan lay stunned in a sunny hospital room as a doctor told her she should have open heart surgery.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026
"Yeah," Ty wheezed, his back aching as if a school bus had fallen from the sky and landed right on him.
From "Look Both Ways" by Jason Reynolds
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.
