pain

noun

\ ˈpān

Definition of pain

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : punishment the pains and penalties of crime

2a(1) : a localized or generalized unpleasant bodily sensation or complex of sensations that causes mild to severe physical discomfort and emotional distress and typically results from bodily disorder (such as injury or disease) acute shooting pains also : the state marked by the presence of such sensations was in constant pain

(2) : a basic bodily sensation that is induced by a noxious stimulus, is received by naked nerve endings, is associated with actual or potential tissue damage, is characterized by physical discomfort (such as pricking, throbbing, or aching), and typically leads to evasive action

b : mental or emotional distress or suffering : grief the pain she had felt at those humiliating words— Morley Callaghan

3 pains plural : the throes of childbirth

4 pains plural : trouble, care, or effort taken to accomplish something was at pains to reassure us

5 informal : one that irks or annoys or is otherwise troublesome … almost everything requires a password these days, and it can be a real pain to remember them all.— Michael Cahlin —often used in such phrases as pain in the neck or (impolite) pain in the ass/butt His little sister is a real pain in the neck.

on pain of or under pain of

: subject to penalty or punishment of made to leave the country on pain of death

pain

verb

pained; paining; pains

Definition of pain (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to make suffer or cause distress to : hurt

2 archaic : to put (oneself) to trouble or exertion

intransitive verb

1 archaic : suffer

2 : to give or have a sensation of pain

Other Words from pain Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about pain

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Synonyms for pain

Synonyms: Noun

ache, pang, prick, shoot, smart, sting, stitch, throe, tingle, twinge

Synonyms: Verb

ache, hurt, smart

Examples of pain in a Sentence

Noun

The medication may upset your stomach but if you experience acute abdominal pain call your doctor. I've had chronic back pain since the accident. The medicine provides 12 hours of pain relief. I feel a dull pain if I touch the bruise. the pain of a difficult childhood It is a story about the joys and pains of life. Rush hour traffic is such a pain. This orange is a pain to peel.

Verb

As much as it pains me to admit it, she was right. my poor head was paining so from all that racket

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Wayne Taylor said his son woke up with a pain in his side and had his appendix removed Monday night. — Jenna Fryer, The Seattle Times, "IMSA points leader Jordan Taylor to race after appendectomy," 12 Apr. 2019 The life-threatening infection started in his ear canal and ended up spreading to the lining of his brain after years of struggling with ear pain and hearing loss issues but not knowing the root of the problem. — Kaleigh Fasanella, Allure, "A Man Developed a Near-Fatal Infection in His Brain Lining After Using a Cotton Swab," 15 Mar. 2019 In 1970, Schatzi is the adult Alice, a psychologist who has spent four years confined in an asylum, grappling with the pain her father passed on to her. — Heidi Waleson, WSJ, "‘The Flood’ and ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ Reviews: Premieres in Pursuit of Reinvention," 11 Feb. 2019 The answer is: because the fetus has not developed in a way that will equip it for a life outside the womb that is not brief and filled with pain. — Jennifer Wright, Harper's BAZAAR, "Anti-Abortion Activists Are Still Defending Forced Birth with Debunked Science," 26 Jan. 2019 Over the course of the previous year, the editors here at Car and Driver have had the pleasure—and yes, sometimes, even the pain—of having driven and tested hundreds of vehicles. — Kirk Seaman, Car and Driver, "2019 Editors' Choice Awards: The Best Trucks, SUVs, and Vans," 24 Jan. 2019 My philosophy is that the pain response is a message from your body to just stop. — WSJ, "Why Lisa Kudrow Doesn’t Work Out," 29 Apr. 2019 Check out the reveal trailer below, or don’t and save yourself the pain. — Hayden Dingman, PCWorld, "This week in games: Borderlands 3 teased for PAX East, Dwarf Fortress is coming to Steam," 15 Mar. 2019 The neurons that are required to be able to feel pain don't exist. — Julyssa Lopez, Glamour, "What Unplanned Gets Wrong About Abortion, According to Experts," 11 Apr. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

The new study tested the rival drug, Praluent, for a longer time and in patients at higher risk — nearly 19,000 people who in the previous year had a heart attack or chest pain serious enough to put them in the hospital. — Washington Post, "Study: Cholesterol drug lowers risk of death, heart attack," 10 Mar. 2018 How ought outspoken survivors all feel, having aired indignities and pain publicly and across generations, to receive lip service from politicians, but ultimately see justice evaporate again? — Sarah Stankorb, Glamour, "Are Hashtags Like #MeToo and #BelieveWomen Hurting or Helping Survivors?," 15 Oct. 2018 Families say the way they were notified ends up being the searing, specific detail that pains them long after their loved one is buried. — Christie Thompson, sacbee, "Your loved one dies. The prison leaves a voicemail," 22 June 2018 And while Kerr was more than happy to be part of the tribute, the reality that these sorts of tributes are becoming so commonplace pains him. — Sam Amick, USA TODAY, "Steve Kerr on Rockets' Santa Fe shooting tribute: 'Agonizing' that it will happen again," 24 May 2018 But what pains her even more is that the party that claims black women are its backbone is also undermining them. — Terrell Jermaine Starr, The Root, "The Progressive Revolution Is Being Led by a Black Woman," 10 Apr. 2018 Wenger also revealed how much each defeat pains him, calling every loss a 'scar'. — SI.com, "Arsene Wenger Indicates Arsenal May Not Be the Last Club He Manages," 28 Mar. 2018 American gynecology was borne from these practices, and its damaging effects still permeates in the false belief that Black women don't experience pain the ways other women do. — Jenn M. Jackson, Teen Vogue, "Black Women Are Not Your Superheroes," 9 July 2018 Ellie was diagnosed with a rare brain tumor at just 4 months, which made chemo, hospital visits and pain constant variables in the child's short life. — Sarah Schreiber, Good Housekeeping, "Heartbroken Mom Posts Photo of Her Daughter's Car Seat As She Brings Home Her Ashes," 20 Mar. 2017

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

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More Definitions for pain

pain

noun

English Language Learners Definition of pain

(Entry 1 of 2)

: the physical feeling caused by disease, injury, or something that hurts the body

: mental or emotional suffering : sadness caused by some emotional or mental problem

informal : someone or something that causes trouble or makes you feel annoyed or angry

pain

verb

English Language Learners Definition of pain (Entry 2 of 2)

formal : to cause (someone) to feel emotional pain : to make (someone) upset, sad, worried, etc.

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

pain

noun

\ ˈpān

Kids Definition of pain

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : physical suffering that accompanies a bodily disorder (as a disease or an injury) The medicine relieves pain.

2 : a very unpleasant feeling (as a prick or an ache) that is caused especially by something harmful I have a pain in my side.

3 : suffering of the mind or emotions : grief The humiliation brought her great pain.

4 pains plural : great care or effort My sister took pains with the garden.

5 : someone or something annoying

Other Words from pain

painful \ ˈpān-fəl \ adjective

painfully \ -fə-lē \ adverb

painless \ -ləs \ adjective

pain

verb

pained; paining

Kids Definition of pain (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : to cause physical or mental suffering in or to It pains me to think of it.

2 : to give or feel physical or mental suffering The suckers, which were fastened to me and pained greatly, lessened their hold.— Scott O'Dell, Island of the Blue Dolphins

pain

noun

\ ˈpān

Medical Definition of pain

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a(1) : a localized or generalized unpleasant bodily sensation or complex of sensations that causes mild to severe physical discomfort and emotional distress and typically results from bodily disorder (as injury or disease) acute shooting pains also : the state marked by the presence of such sensations was in constant pain

(2) : a basic bodily sensation that is induced by a noxious stimulus, is received by naked nerve endings, is associated with actual or potential tissue damage, is characterized by physical discomfort (as pricking, throbbing, or aching), and typically leads to evasive action

b : mental or emotional distress or suffering

2 pains plural : the protracted series of involuntary contractions of the uterine musculature that constitute the major factor in parturient labor and that are often accompanied by considerable pain her pains had begun