as in hurt
to feel or cause physical pain
my feet ache from all that walking
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ached
The next morning, my joints ached as if I had been struck repeatedly with a bag of wet sand.
—
Jan Steyn, The Dial, 10 Mar. 2026
Her joints ached, and her legs were frequently taut with fluid.
—Jason Liebowitz, New Yorker, 6 Mar. 2026
When Jayson Tatum tore his right Achilles tendon against the New York Knicks in the playoffs last May, his family, friends and teammates ached for him.
—Jay King, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2026
Was that his real face, the face that ached?
—Literary Hub, 3 Mar. 2026
That hand must have ached profoundly by the time the group departed.
—Harold Holzer, New York Daily News, 8 Feb. 2026
As his wrist and back still ached from the treehouse fall, Smith’s heart broke next.
—Andrew Callahan, Twin Cities, 7 Feb. 2026
Despite finishing the course of her meds, the bleeding didn’t stop, and McClellan became abnormally fatigued and her lower back ached.
—Julia Sullivan, SELF, 4 Feb. 2026
Her hand and arm cramped, her shoulder ached, and her knee throbbed, all while the rain soaked through their clothes.
—Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 27 Jan. 2026
Jan Steyn, The Dial, 10 Mar. 2026
Her joints ached, and her legs were frequently taut with fluid.
—Jason Liebowitz, New Yorker, 6 Mar. 2026
When Jayson Tatum tore his right Achilles tendon against the New York Knicks in the playoffs last May, his family, friends and teammates ached for him.
—Jay King, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2026
Was that his real face, the face that ached?
—Literary Hub, 3 Mar. 2026
That hand must have ached profoundly by the time the group departed.
—Harold Holzer, New York Daily News, 8 Feb. 2026
As his wrist and back still ached from the treehouse fall, Smith’s heart broke next.
—Andrew Callahan, Twin Cities, 7 Feb. 2026
Despite finishing the course of her meds, the bleeding didn’t stop, and McClellan became abnormally fatigued and her lower back ached.
—Julia Sullivan, SELF, 4 Feb. 2026
Her hand and arm cramped, her shoulder ached, and her knee throbbed, all while the rain soaked through their clothes.
—Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 27 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ached
Verb
-
Your discerning side notices details others miss, so name what works and what hurts before proposing adjustments that would fix the latter.—
Tarot.com,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Mar. 2026
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But if the situation drags on, higher energy prices could start to weigh more heavily on the global economy, hurting consumers, slowing growth, and keeping markets under pressure.—
Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Her hand and arm cramped, her shoulder ached, and her knee throbbed, all while the rain soaked through their clothes.—
Lizz Schumer,
PEOPLE,
27 Jan. 2026
-
The upper blocks throbbed and pulsed a deep blue, reflecting the pond’s windblown currents.—
Jack Korngold,
Rolling Stone,
28 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The only recourse those unregulated bookmakers had when their Spidey-senses tingled was to simply stop taking bets on the suspicious game.—
David Hill,
Rolling Stone,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
And right now, the NCAA men’s selection committee would be pained to place 37 at-large bids in the field and come away satisfied.—
Joe Rexrode,
New York Times,
3 Feb. 2026
-
McNally is still pained by her death.—
Johnny Dodd,
PEOPLE,
8 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ached.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ached. Accessed 22 Mar. 2026.
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