migraine

noun

mi·​graine ˈmī-ˌgrān 

 British often  ˈmē-

plural migraines

1

a

: 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

migrainous

ˈmī-ˌgrā-nəs 

adjective

Examples of migraine in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

For the 39 million Americans who suffer from migraines, finding effective relief can be a constant struggle – leading many to test out old wives' tales. —Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 5 July 2025

Participants also reported less disability from migraines, with scores on a standard headache impact scale cut by more than half. —Paul Hanona, ABC News, 20 June 2025

Smell sensitivity can be extreme for some people during a migraine attack. —Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 June 2025

Some biology might prompt additional bias, Dr. Baldwin notes: People assigned female at birth are more likely to have migraine with aura, which could trigger a headache and a slew of visual and sensory disturbances that may mimic stroke. —Erica Sloan, SELF, 18 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English mygreyn, from Middle French migraine, modification of Late Latin hemicrania pain in one side of the head, from Greek hēmikrania, from hēmi- hemi- + kranion cranium

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing migraine

• acephalgic migraine
• anti-migraine
• silent migraine

Rhymes for migraine

• abstain
• airplane
• alkane
• arcane
• arraign
• attain
• backplane
• betaine
• biplane
• blockchain
• butane
• campaign

Kids Definition

migraine

noun

mi·​graine ˈmī-ˌgrān 

: a severe headache often restricted to one side of the head and accompanied by nausea and vomiting

Medical Definition

migraine

noun

mi·​graine

ˈmī-ˌgrān, British often ˈmē-

1

a

: 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

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

2

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

3

: 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

migrainous

-ˌgrā-nəs 

adjective