pains
Britishplural noun
-
care, trouble, or effort (esp in the phrases take pains, be at pains to )
-
painful sensations experienced during contractions in childbirth; labour pains
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.
State outlets were at pains to present a picture of calm returning, broadcasting images of smooth-flowing traffic.
From Barron's
Pustilnikov chalked the issues up to growing pains, given the scale of the acquisition.
From Los Angeles Times
Amusingly, Mr. Romney takes pains to point out that beneficiaries of this tax provision weren’t cheaters; they were playing by the rules.
To be sure, the strategists are at pains to note some features of overextended markets are notably absent.
From MarketWatch
It "pains me to see how one bad headline can easily prejudice Japanese people against them".
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.
