ache

verb \ ˈāk \

Updated on: 17 May 2018

Definition of ache

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.

See ache defined for English-language learners

See ache defined for kids

Examples of ache in a Sentence

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.

Recent Examples of ache from the Web

My back ached, and sweat pooled under my arms from the heat trapped in my coat.

— charlie anderle, Bon Appetit, "What It's Like to be Queer, Trans, Black, and a Line Cook," 3 May 2018
Having struggled to compete with German luxury brands in recent years, Cadillac dealers are aching to add the 2019 XT4 compact crossover to their lineup.

— nathan bomey, USA TODAY, "Cadillac XT4 crossover debuts at New York Auto Show," 27 Mar. 2018
Komenda’s skill at layering vintage and contemporary furnishings with color and texture felt particularly suited for a pair of new builds that were aching for hand-me-down character.

— chantal lamers, Sunset, "How to Design a Pair of Family Cabins," 22 Jan. 2018
Kline continues to write the same flickering, aching pop songs that regularly come in under two minutes in length.

— kevin warwick, Chicago Reader, "Frankie Cosmos delivers another aching, poignant record of two-minute indie-pop songs," 27 Apr. 2018
Biwott, 33, battled bleeding toes and aching muscles to place fourth in Boston last year, running for the first time in what’s commonly known as America’s Greatest Race.

— benjy egel, sacbee, "Folsom runner places third in Boston Marathon, tops among Americans | The Sacramento Bee," 17 Apr. 2018
By Mile 15, our muscles ached on a deeper level than normal.

— mike kotsopoulos, BostonGlobe.com, "Here’s a runner’s perspective on the Boston Marathon," 16 Apr. 2018
So did Duran Duran bass player John Taylor, who ached to meet the model after seeing her face plastered across newsstands.

— Vogue, "Catching Up With Renée Toft Simonsen, “Face of the ’80s” Modeling Contest Winner and 5-Time Vogue Cover Girl," 13 Apr. 2018
Hockey’s huge, rugged heart ached from Saskatchewan to San Diego at the unimaginable loss suffered Friday by the tiny, tight-knit Canadian farm community of Humboldt.

— bryce miller, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Connection to fatal Canadian bus crash rattles Gulls," 10 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ache.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of ache

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 ²ache.

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

ache Synonyms

Synonyms

hurt, pain, smart;

agonize, anguish, suffer;

afflict, harrow, torment, torture;

ache

noun

Definition of ache

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

See ache defined for English-language learners

Examples of ache in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of ache from the Web

The most common symptoms include fever, headache, muscle aches, tiredness, loss of appetite and swollen and tender salivary glands according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

— maria clark, NOLA.com, "Students could have been exposed to mumps, warns Metairie school: Fox 8," 27 Apr. 2018
Manuela Testolini, Prince’s wife from 2001 to 2007, told police that Prince often used narcotic pain pills during that period to manage his bodily aches.

— joe coscarelli, New York Times, "Prince’s Friends Fiercely Guarded His Privacy, Complicating Overdose Investigation," 20 Apr. 2018
Mumps symptoms are generally unpleasant but not serious, such as fever, fatigue, and body aches, but in rare cases deafness or sterility can occur.

— rita giordano, Philly.com, "More Philadelphia-area mumps cases reported," 11 Apr. 2018
Vera Thomas-Platten was diagnosed with mumps, but she was spared the fever, aches, pains and puffy cheeks that the virus is best known for.

— CBS News, "Health officials urging vaccination amid mumps outbreak in Delaware," 3 Apr. 2018
This year, many people came down with the flu virus and experienced fever, coughing, sneezing, and aches and pains.

— kitty leshay, Courant Community, "The Mill: More Than A Museum," 27 Mar. 2018
Mumps, which is typically spread through saliva and mucus, causes fever, muscle aches, loss of appetite and the characteristic puffy cheeks and jaw from swollen salivary glands.

— susan scutti, CNN, "Mumps outbreaks linked to waning vaccine protection, study says," 21 Mar. 2018
Symptoms Mumps usually starts with symptoms that include fever, headache, muscle aches, tiredness and loss of appetite, the CDC says.

— cydney henderson, azcentral, "Cheerleaders from 39 states potentially exposed to mumps," 9 Mar. 2018
Mumps symptoms include fever, headache, muscle aches, loss of appetite and fatigue.

— sarah gray, Time, "Thousands of Cheerleaders Are on Alert for Mumps After a National Competition," 7 Mar. 2018

Origin and Etymology of ache

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

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."

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year