pain
Americannoun
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pains
plural
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physical suffering or distress, as due to injury, illness, etc.
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a distressing sensation in a particular part of the body.
a back pain.
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mental or emotional suffering or torment.
I am sorry my news causes you such pain.
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pains,
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laborious or careful efforts; assiduous care.
Great pains have been taken to repair the engine perfectly.
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the suffering of childbirth.
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Informal. an annoying or troublesome person or thing.
verb (used with object)
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pains,
present (3rd person singular)
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pained,
past participle, past
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paining
present participle
verb (used without object)
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pains,
present (3rd person singular)
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pained,
past participle, past
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paining
present participle
noun
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the sensation of acute physical hurt or discomfort caused by injury, illness, etc
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emotional suffering or mental distress
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subject to the penalty of
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Also called: pain in the neck, pain in the arse. informal a person or thing that is a nuisance
verb
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to cause (a person) distress, hurt, grief, anxiety, etc
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informal to annoy; irritate
Synonym Usage
Pain , ache , agony , anguish are terms for sensations causing suffering or torment. Pain and ache usually refer to physical sensations (except heartache ); agony and anguish may be physical or mental. Pain suggests a sudden sharp twinge: a pain in one's ankle. Ache applies to a continuous pain, whether acute or dull: headache; muscular aches. Agony implies a continuous, excruciating, scarcely endurable pain: in agony from a wound. Anguish suggests not only extreme and long-continued pain, but also a feeling of despair. See care.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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painsimple
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painssimple
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have painedperfect
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has painedperfect
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am painingprogressive
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are painingprogressive
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is painingprogressive
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have been painingperfect progressive
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has been painingperfect progressive
Past
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painedsimple
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had painedperfect
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was painingprogressive
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were painingprogressive
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had been painingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of pain
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English peine “punishment, torture, pain,” from Old French, from Latin poena “penalty, pain,” from Greek poinḗ “penalty”
Explanation
If you feel pain, you feel acute physical or emotional discomfort. A sprained ankle will pain you. So will news of a loved one's death. If you "take pain" over something, it means you're being careful. An annoying person can be described as a pain––it's understood that they don't cause you actual physical pain, but cause you emotional discomfort and distress. You can also describe this person as a "pain in the neck," "a pain in the butt," or "a royal pain."
Vocabulary lists containing pain
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:
She had complained of pain in the area of the injection, and she said, “It feels like my arm is about to burst.”
From Slate ● Oct. 6, 2026
Robert Kelker-Kelly, the former daytime drama actor who played Bo Brady on ‘Days Of Our Lives,’ died Saturday after reportedly complaining of chest pain.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
Possible warning signs include lower back pain, abdominal pain, changes in bowel habits, weight loss, and rectal bleeding.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 6, 2026
I have great pain around this as I know some of you do.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
The truth of that sentence zings through me, zillions of times stronger than any shin pain.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
Most of Mekelle's stores remained shuttered on Sunday, with several business owners taking pains to hide their stocks from Thursday as the federal forces drew closer.
From Barron's ● Oct. 4, 2026
The daughter of another medbed believer recalled her mother’s words: We won’t have those aches and pains anymore; your dad’s heart will be better.
From Slate ● Sep. 22, 2026
Meta’s announcement of the tool took pains to underline how rock-solid it was.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
"It was constant nausea, stomach pains, mouth ulcers, just day-to-day fatigue, it was awful," she said.
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026
Herrero is at pains to stress that black bear attacks are infrequent, relative to their numbers.
From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson
The actors speak quietly, as if fearful of being overheard, whether or not there is anyone around to hear, and often regard one another with pained or stunned expressions.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2026
"I am pained to see the events of the past 10 days. This is not a matter of personal prestige for me," Pradhan said in a statement posted on social media platform X.
From Barron's ● Jul. 25, 2026
When I was in second grade, during a parent teacher conference, my teacher was pained to tell my mother that her son would never learn to read.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026
“It’s very frustrating,” Doncic said between Games 1 and 2, standing with his hands in his pockets, pained to report that he wasn’t close to returning, five weeks into his eight-week return-to-work timeline.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 10, 2026
Mama got a pained look in her eyes.
From "A Place to Belong" by Cynthia Kadohata
A second person said: "The bolt challenge is paining me because it’s innocent and hardworking people on both sides that are suffering for the wickedness and thoughtlessness of other people. Really unfair."
From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2024
“She can feel pain, and she starts crying, saying, ‘It is here and it is rising and it is paining here and here.'”
From Seattle Times ● May 11, 2024
“Oh, it was a hurting, paining feeling going through my heart to know that something like that would happen on this street.”
From Fox News ● Aug. 10, 2019
Your silhouette appears on the paining, sometimes surrounded by a glowing aura.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2019
She put her hand on her throat and scrunched up her face like something was paining her.
From "Ida B" by Katherine Hannigan
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.
