migraine

noun

mi·​graine ˈmī-ˌgrān How to pronounce migraine (audio)
 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 adjective

Examples of migraine in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web None had ever been diagnosed with migraines prior to their space missions and none had a history of recurrent headaches. Fox News, 15 Mar. 2024 By Mira Cheng | CNN A Florida man with worsening migraines was found to have parasitic tapeworm larvae in his brain, according to a report published this month in the American Journal of Case Reports. Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 14 Mar. 2024 None had a history of recurrent headaches or had been diagnosed with migraines. Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 14 Mar. 2024 Here are five things at work that can sometimes cause a migraine attack and how to deal with them. Julia Sullivan, SELF, 14 Mar. 2024 About 89 percent of these headaches were tension headaches and 10 percent were likely a migraine. Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 13 Mar. 2024 Documented cases have reported anxiety, hallucinations, migraines, swelling of the brain and seizures. Jocelyn Solis-Moreira, CNN, 11 Mar. 2024 The couple noted that Zach had previously gone to doctors to get his migraine checked and had MRI’s done, but the scar tissue from previous shunt surgeries prevented them from seeing the issue. Kimberlee Speakman, Peoplemag, 15 Feb. 2024 Heat guard Tyler Herro is listed as probable for the contest after missing Sunday’s loss to the Clippers because of a migraine. Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 5 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'migraine.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of migraine was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near migraine

Cite this Entry

“Migraine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/migraine. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

migraine

noun
mi·​graine ˈmī-ˌgrān How to pronounce migraine (audio)
: 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 adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on migraine

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