migraine

noun

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mi·graine | \ ˈmī-ˌgrān

, British often ˈmē- \

plural migraines

Definition of migraine

1a : a condition marked by recurring moderate to severe headache with throbbing pain that usually lasts from four hours to three days, typically begins on one side of the head but may spread to both sides, is often accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to light or sound, and is sometimes preceded by an aura and is often followed by fatigue Migraine affects three times as many women as men. — The Journal of the American Medical Association About 20 percent of migraine sufferers experience an aura as the first symptom of an attack. The aura may be a pulsing star of light, or a dance of geometric forms across the visual field …— Natalie Angier

b : a condition that is a variant form of the typical migraine but in which headache is absent or not a prominent symptom:

(1) : a condition in which an aura involving visual disturbances (such as diplopia, scotoma, or tunnel vision) is the main symptom and is not followed by headache

— called also acephalgic migraine, silent migraine

(2) : a condition that is marked by episodic bodily dysfunction (such as cyclic vomiting, abdominal pain, dizziness, vertigo, or unilateral weakness or paralysis) and may be accompanied by headache abdominal migraine vestibular migraine In retinal migraine, repeated episodes of unilateral visual disorder occur with or without headache.— Sid Gilman

2 : an episode or attack of migraine Most patients use a class of drugs known as "triptans," to relieve occasional migraines. But triptans don't work for 20% to 30% of patients.— Tara Parker-Pope

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Examples of migraine in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The Migraine Research Foundation reports that migraines impact 39 million men, women and children in the U.S. alone with nearly one in four U.S. households including someone with migraine. — Julia Musto, Fox News, 23 Sep. 2021 Try to go to bed and wake up at the same times each day to regulate your circadian cycle, spend more time in daytime natural light, and avoid alcohol and smoking, suggests The Migraine Trust, a UK migraine charity that helped support this study. — Kristen Rogers, CNN, 22 Sep. 2021 That click sound sets off something in your brain destined to give you a migraine. — Troy L. Smith, cleveland, 28 Sep. 2021 Especially prior to leaving for vacation, these and other stress management activities can help avoid the spike-and-drop pattern that might trigger a migraine. — Sarah Garone, Health.com, 13 Sep. 2021 In the ad, Williams recreates the time she was hit with a migraine in the middle of an important meeting. — Kathleen Newman-bremang, refinery29.com, 19 Aug. 2021 Although neurological disorders tended to remain distinct, an exception was migraine, which had many variants in common with ADHD, Tourette syndrome and MDD. — Emily Willingham, Scientific American, 22 June 2018 More than 100,000 patients have received vagal nerve implants to treat intractable epilepsy, treatment-resistant depression, cluster headaches and migraine. — Robert Lee Hotz, WSJ, 13 Aug. 2021 This includes drugs for erectile dysfunction, migraine, opioid antagonists, high cholesterol, and contraceptives. — Joshua Cohen, Forbes, 3 June 2021

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

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Dictionary Entries Near migraine

mignonne

migraine

migraineur

Statistics for migraine

Last Updated

14 Oct 2021

Cite this Entry

“Migraine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/migraine. Accessed 19 Oct. 2021.

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More Definitions for migraine

migraine

noun

English Language Learners Definition of migraine

: a very bad headache

See the full definition for migraine in the English Language Learners Dictionary

migraine

noun

mi·graine | \ ˈmī-ˌgrān, British often ˈmē- \

Medical Definition of migraine

Note: Migraine tends to occur in more than one member of a family and is of uncertain origin though attacks appear to be associated with dilation of intracranial blood vessels and release of serotonin and other inflammatory substances.

Migraine is a common disorder that can severely affect patients' quality of life and daily function. The patients typically have attacks of unilateral, pulsating, severe or moderately severe headache aggravated by routine physical activity … — The New England Journal of Medicine About 20 percent of migraine sufferers experience an aura as the first symptom of an attack. The aura may be a pulsing star of light, or a dance of geometric forms across the visual field …— Natalie Angier

b : a condition that is a variant form of the typical migraine but in which headache is absent or not a prominent symptom:

(1) : a condition in which an aura involving visual disturbances (as diplopia, scotoma, or tunnel vision) is the main symptom and is not followed by headache Approximately 20% of migraineurs may experience acephalgic attacks of migraine at one time or another. Indeed, that various symptoms can occur in the absence of any headache has been noted for some time; in fact, visual phenomena were described as early as the 12th century.— Donald M. Pedersen et al.

— called also acephalgic migraine, silent migraine

(2) : a condition that is marked by episodic bodily dysfunction (as cyclic vomiting, abdominal pain, dizziness, vertigo, or unilateral weakness or paralysis) and may be accompanied by headache abdominal migraine vestibular migraine In retinal migraine, repeated episodes of unilateral visual disorder occur with or without headache.— Sid Gilman

2 : an episode or attack of migraine Most patients use a class of drugs known as "triptans," such as Imitrex, to relieve occasional migraines. But triptans don't work for 20% to 30% of patients.— Tara Parker-Pope Lynn Goldstein, a dietitian at Weill Cornell, advises patients to remove suspected "trigger" foods from their diet for a period of time and monitor how their migraines are affected. — Food & Fitness Advisor

— called also sick headache