ache

1 of 2

verb

ˈāk 

ached; aching

intransitive verb

1

a

: to suffer a usually dull persistent pain

an aching back

b

: to become distressed or disturbed (as with anxiety or regret)

aching with sadness

c

: to feel compassion

My heart aches for those poor people.

2

: to experience a painful eagerness or yearning

He is aching to go.

ache

2 of 2

noun

1

: a usually dull persistent pain

had an ache in his back

2

: a condition marked by aching

looked through the old pictures with a dull ache in her heart

Synonyms

Verb

• hurt
• pain
• smart

Noun

• pain
• pang
• prick
• shoot
• smart
• sting
• stitch
• throe
• tingle
• twinge

Examples of ache in a Sentence

Verb

Her muscles were aching from shoveling snow.

After running the marathon, his body ached for a week.

The candy's so sweet that it makes my teeth ache.

Noun

He had a dull ache in his back from lifting boxes all day.

a dull pounding ache in his head

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

And McCrimmon, whose voice grows more majestic and multi-hued as the musical’s emotion ramps up, delivers this aching anthem with heartrending virtuosity. —Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2024

Say goodbye to dry, cracked skin, aching fingers, and tired wrists, with this cream made just for your hands. 10. —Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024

That night after the rescue, Florian posted on Instagram that his arms were aching from carrying Stevie, but his heart was full. —Cathy Free, Washington Post, 8 Mar. 2024

Dorothy has dazzling adventures over the rainbow but aches for just one thing: Home. —Teri Sforza, Orange County Register, 4 Feb. 2024

All the scenes are full of aching vulnerability and reluctant intimacy. —Sam Hurwitt, The Mercury News, 19 Mar. 2024

My throat was raw, and the Achilles’ tendon in my right leg started to ache. —Paul Tough, New York Times, 17 Mar. 2024

After a year, Silverman had isolated herself from friends and family to avoid their concern, was dizzy and aching from undereating. —Audrey Richardson and Aurora Sousanis, Detroit Free Press, 17 Mar. 2024

As the March trial date crept closer, Nicole’s stomach started to ache. —Carolyn Van Houten, Washington Post, 14 Mar. 2024

Noun

For many people, daily aches and pains are just accepted as part of everyday life, but what if this doesn’t have to be your reality? —Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024

Human symptoms of bird flu include eye redness, fever, coughing, sore throat, muscle or body aches, headaches, fatigue, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing. —Andrew Jeong, Washington Post, 3 Apr. 2024

Molecules of air bumping into my forehead made my head ache. —Marla Jo Fisher, Orange County Register, 3 Apr. 2024

People who may have been in contact with infected animals should be monitored for symptoms including eye redness, fever, cough, sore throat, congestion, muscle aches, fatigue, and shortness of breath. —Jamie Ducharme, TIME, 1 Apr. 2024

Body and muscle aches often occur with the flu, while headache is a common cold symptom.12 Tylenol (acetaminophen) can relieve painful symptoms. —Amanda Gardner, Health, 30 Mar. 2024

Seeing him like this makes my chest ache, hunched over in just his sweatpants and an athletic tee stretched across the broadness of him. —Lizz Schumer, Peoplemag, 26 Mar. 2024

Camphor is an active ingredient used in topicals for its ability to alleviate minor aches and pains caused in the joints. —Danielle Zoellner, Verywell Health, 26 Mar. 2024

Next: slanting notes of guitar, reverberating with an ache. —Sophie Yun Mancini, Condé Nast Traveler, 26 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English aken, going back to Old English acan, of uncertain origin

Note: Originally a Class VI strong verb, to judge by Middle English past tense forms such as eoc, ok, etc. (no preterit forms are attested in Old English). There is no counterpart to the verb in other Germanic languages, and words adduced as possible relatives (e.g., Middle Dutch akel "harm, injury, grief," Middle Low German ēken "to fester") are formally and semantically only vaguely comparable. Regarding the spelling see note at ache entry 2.

Noun

Middle English, going back to Old English æce, ece, noun derivative from the base of acan "to ache entry 1"

Note: The spelling with -ch-, reflecting the historical pronunciation of the noun, has spread to the verb, while the pronunciation of the verb with [k], continued from Old English, has spread to the noun since late Middle English. The persistence of the spelling with -ch- may have been influenced by Samuel Johnson's mistaken notion that the word derived from Greek áchos "pain, distress."

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

ache

1 of 2 verb

ˈāk 

ached; aching

1

: to suffer a dull persistent pain

2

: to long painfully : yearn

ache

2 of 2 noun

: a dull persistent pain

achy

ˈā-kē

adjective

Medical Definition

ache

1 of 3 intransitive verb

ˈāk 

ached; aching

: to suffer a usually dull persistent pain

ache

2 of 3 noun

1

: a usually dull persistent pain

2

: a condition marked by aching

AChE

3 of 3 abbreviation

acetylcholinesterase