pain
- physical suffering or distress, as due to injury, illness, etc.
- a distressing sensation in a particular part of the body: a back pain.
- mental or emotional suffering or torment: I am sorry my news causes you such pain.
- pains,
- laborious or careful efforts; assiduous care: Great pains have been taken to repair the engine perfectly.
- the suffering of childbirth.
- Informal. an annoying or troublesome person or thing.
- to cause physical pain to; hurt.
- to cause (someone) mental or emotional pain; distress: Your sarcasm pained me.
- to have or give pain.
- feel no pain, Informal. to be intoxicated: After all that free beer, we were feeling no pain.
- on/upon/under pain of, liable to the penalty of: on pain of death.
- pain in the ass, Slang: Vulgar. pain(def 5).
- pain in the neck, Informal. pain(def 5).
Origin of pain
Synonyms
See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.comSynonym study
Antonyms
Related Words
cramp, fever, burn, sickness, soreness, agony, irritation, wound, strain, discomfort, illness, torment, misery, twinge, ache, trouble, injury, tenderness, spasm, heartacheExamples from the Web for pain
Contemporary Examples
He closed his eyes, imagining the virgins, imagining away the pain in his head and groin.
Throughout all the stories of loss and pain with the Chief, there was barely a trace of emotion.
Just two young kids experiencing the panic, pain, and then the miracle, of new birth.
Nowhere to be found is the anguish, the drama, the pain of an athlete on that level who considering walking away.
The holidays are upon us, time for family, for love and pain, togetherness and loss.
Historical Examples
My very blood boiled in my veins, that such an one as he could give me pain.
PhilotheaLydia Maria Child
"In truth, my father, I wished to avoid the pain of parting," rejoined Philæmon.
PhilotheaLydia Maria Child
No; those we love, we love for every thing; even for the pain they have given us.
But she gave me none: it was where she was not, that pain was.
Many in our country do not know the pain of poverty, but we can listen to those who do.
pain
- the sensation of acute physical hurt or discomfort caused by injury, illness, etc
- emotional suffering or mental distress
- on pain of subject to the penalty of
- Also called: pain in the neck, (taboo) pain in the arse informal a person or thing that is a nuisance
- to cause (a person) distress, hurt, grief, anxiety, etc
- informal to annoy; irritate
Word Origin
Word Origin and History for pain
n.
late 13c., "punishment," especially for a crime; also "condition one feels when hurt, opposite of pleasure," from Old French peine "difficulty, woe, suffering, punishment, Hell's torments" (11c.), from Latin poena "punishment, penalty, retribution, indemnification" (in Late Latin also "torment, hardship, suffering"), from Greek poine "retribution, penalty, quit-money for spilled blood," from PIE *kwei- "to pay, atone, compensate" (see penal). The earliest sense in English survives in phrase on pain of death.
Phrase to give (someone) a pain "be annoying and irritating" is from 1908; localized as pain in the neck (1924) and pain in the ass (1934), though this last might have gone long unrecorded and be the original sense and the others euphemisms. Pains "great care taken (for some purpose)" is first recorded 1520s (in the singular in this sense, it is attested from c.1300). First record of pain-killer is from 1853.
v.
c.1300, "to exert or strain oneself, strive; endeavor," from Old French pener (v.) "to hurt, cause pain," from peine, and from Middle English peine (n.); see pain (n.). Transitive meaning "cause pain; inflict pain" is from late 14c. That of "to cause sorrow, grief, or unhappiness" also is from late 14c. Related: Pained; paining.
pain
(pān)- An unpleasant sensation occurring in varying degrees of severity as a consequence of injury, disease, or emotional disorder.
- One of the uterine contractions occurring in childbirth.
Idioms and Phrases with pain
pain
In addition to the idioms beginning with pain
- pain in the neck
also see:
- at pains
- feel no pain
- for one's pains
- growing pains
- no pain, no gain
- on pain of