pang
Americannoun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of pang
First recorded in 1495–1505; origin uncertain
Explanation
A pang is a sharp jab or an intense hurt that comes on suddenly. If you've felt an all-of-a-sudden, deep sadness that seems to hit you even in the back of the eyes, you've probably had a pang of emotion over a loss or a tragic story. You can feel a physical pain or pang right when you get hurt, or you might suffer a pang of guilt that keeps popping up if you don't own up to something bad. Pang sounds close to pain, and it is pain, but it has a sharper edge — it's intense and comes on fast. A childbirth pain often is called a pang, because it's such a unique type of hurting. Having a pang of regret can be almost as sharp.
Vocabulary lists containing pang
Where the Red Fern Grows
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Maus I: My Father Bleeds History
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Unit 1: Telling Details
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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:
I felt a pang of guilt for riling them up and realized just how stark the difference is between driving 25 mph and 35 mph.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
When he passed away, I got a pang of sadness.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
"In the initial weeks, I had this really strange pang of wanting to go back. Because it was something I understood," Gershkovich recalled.
From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026
While some footage exists of those illicit outdoor parties, they came before everyone had phones and cameras - and Chawawa, 33, feels a pang of nostalgia for that age of analogue abandon.
From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2026
She did not bring her parents, and a pang of sadness hit Moss as he watched his friend walk through the door, her shoulders dropped down, bandages and stitches crisscrossing her face.
From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro
How do you deal with those inevitable pangs?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026
In a free society, there is no right to be shielded from information that might cause pangs of doubt.
From Salon ● Apr. 29, 2026
The 14-year-old first felt the pangs of online addiction in the days after the ban started.
From BBC ● Jan. 9, 2026
"We are suffering the pangs of growth because India knows how to handle poverty, not prosperity."
From Barron's ● Nov. 27, 2025
Tfet, I also feel pangs of guilt even for thinking of discarding it like that.
From "I Am the Messenger" by Markus Zusak
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
