cluster headache

noun

: a headache that is characterized by severe pain in the eye or temple and tends to recur in a series of attacks

Examples of cluster headache in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Meanwhile, tension headaches tend to feel more like a band squeezing around the head, and cluster headaches spark a surge of pain in or around one eye. —Erica Sloan, SELF, 17 Apr. 2026

Earlier research had suggested that sufferers of cluster headaches were more likely to be left-handed; Kudrow’s data disproved this. —Michael Schulman, New Yorker, 16 Mar. 2026

Philadelphia has one of the few centers dedicated to treating cluster headaches. —Stephanie Stahl, CBS News, 11 Mar. 2026

The role of the sphenopalatine ganglion in craniofacial pain syndromes In fact, the sphenopalatine ganglion is also implicated in cluster headaches — a debilitatingly painful condition — and has become a target for therapeutic research. —Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 25 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1953, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for cluster headache

• radiopaque
• ache
• ake
• bake
• brake
• break
• cake
• craik
• crake
• fake
• flake
• hake

Medical Definition

cluster headache

noun

: a headache that is characterized by severe unilateral pain in the eye or temple, affects primarily men, and tends to recur in a series of attacks

called also histamine cephalalgia, histamine cephalgia, Horton's syndrome