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
Helen Shaw, New Yorker, 17 Oct. 2025
These pangs are only compounded by the cliffhanger that concluded Season 2, in which President William Rayburn (Michael McKean) suffered a fatal heart attack and elevated his vice president, Grace Penn (Allison Janney), to the top of the call sheet.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 16 Oct. 2025
Dylan Owens, The Know, 16 Feb. 2017
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Noun
The friend felt a pang of preëmptive regret.
—Helen Shaw, New Yorker, 17 Oct. 2025
These pangs are only compounded by the cliffhanger that concluded Season 2, in which President William Rayburn (Michael McKean) suffered a fatal heart attack and elevated his vice president, Grace Penn (Allison Janney), to the top of the call sheet.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 16 Oct. 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 31 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
pang
noun
: a brief piercing spasm of pain see birth pang, hunger pangs
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