1
: a brief piercing spasm of pain
the pangs of childbirth
2
: a sharp attack of mental anguish
pangs of remorse
a pang of guilt
a pang of disappointment
Examples of pang in a Sentence
Noun
those hunger pangs that strike you in the middle of the afternoon
Recent Examples on the Web
Caroline Tien, SELF, 6 June 2025
In fact, no other fixture in Latin America symbolizes so intensely the visceral and contradictory pangs many people feel toward the U.S. than the Panama Canal.
—Whitney Eulich, Christian Science Monitor, 30 May 2025
Dylan Owens, The Know, 16 Feb. 2017
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Noun
Even though diet culture often frames snacking as a negative—an unbridled act of gluttony at best, and a sign of moral weakness at worst—reaching for an edible pick-me-up when the hunger pangs hit is the most natural thing in the world.
—Caroline Tien, SELF, 6 June 2025
In fact, no other fixture in Latin America symbolizes so intensely the visceral and contradictory pangs many people feel toward the U.S. than the Panama Canal.
—Whitney Eulich, Christian Science Monitor, 30 May 2025
Verb
Its sonic trappings are in vogue, but thanks in large part to front-woman Fox Rodemich’s memorable voice, which pangs around the record like a cave bellow, there’s an outlying classic quality to these songs.
—Dylan Owens, The Know, 16 Feb. 2017
See All Example Sentences for pang
Cite this Entry
“Pang.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pang. Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
pang
noun
: a brief piercing spasm of pain see birth pang, hunger pangs
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