pains
Britishplural noun
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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.
Stock investors tend to prefer growing pains to no growth at all, though.
From Barron's • May 27, 2026
But the Chinese government is working to ease homecoming pains.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026
Justice Samuel Alito’s majority opinion took pains to clarify that the court was not reversing Allen v.
From Slate • May 12, 2026
The WHO and the Spanish government have been at pains to play down epidemiological comparisons between the current situation and the Covid pandemic.
From BBC • May 8, 2026
Again, he picked up the bag, but something occurred to him, and he turned to walk back down the path toward the royal pains.
From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley
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.
