as in pains
a sharp unpleasant sensation usually felt in some specific part of the body
those hunger pangs that strike you in the middle of the afternoon
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of pangs
Julia Ries Wexler, Outside, 4 Feb. 2026
Packing your own treats not only saves money between meals, but also keeps mood-tanking hunger pangs at bay.
—Alesandra Dubin, Travel + Leisure, 20 Jan. 2026
And dehydration—which tends to shoot up during the winter thanks in part to the drier air—can also spur hunger pangs and cravings if your body misinterprets the signals.
—Caroline Tien, SELF, 15 Jan. 2026
The moment is fleeting, though, interrupted by the sharp pangs of rapidly escalating synthesizers that create a sudden sense of claustrophobic exhilaration.
—Literary Hub, 14 Jan. 2026
How Popcorn Affects Your Stomach When your stomach starts growling between meals, popcorn might be just the thing to alleviate those annoying hunger pangs.
—Ann Pietrangelo, Verywell Health, 22 Dec. 2025
Songwriters expressing pangs of grief for what once was held court with others fretting about undesirable futures and still others dreaming up cooler tomorrows.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2025
At the same time, many of our neighbors have lost jobs to corporate layoffs, government cutbacks and simple chance, and suddenly feel the pangs of hunger in this land of plenty.
—Cardinal Blase Cupich, Mercury News, 27 Nov. 2025
Mira Nair has kept at it for over three decades—whether through Monsoon Wedding (2001), which took Delhi’s chaotic beauty global, or The Namesake (2006), which tenderly captured the sharp pangs of diasporic longing.
—Bhanuj Kappal, Vogue, 15 Nov. 2025
Noun
Everyone’s blood sugar levels sporadically spike, and that’s normal, but keeping it steady helps prevent energy crashes, hunger pangs, and mood swings, Dardarian says.
—Julia Ries Wexler, Outside, 4 Feb. 2026
Packing your own treats not only saves money between meals, but also keeps mood-tanking hunger pangs at bay.
—Alesandra Dubin, Travel + Leisure, 20 Jan. 2026
And dehydration—which tends to shoot up during the winter thanks in part to the drier air—can also spur hunger pangs and cravings if your body misinterprets the signals.
—Caroline Tien, SELF, 15 Jan. 2026
The moment is fleeting, though, interrupted by the sharp pangs of rapidly escalating synthesizers that create a sudden sense of claustrophobic exhilaration.
—Literary Hub, 14 Jan. 2026
How Popcorn Affects Your Stomach When your stomach starts growling between meals, popcorn might be just the thing to alleviate those annoying hunger pangs.
—Ann Pietrangelo, Verywell Health, 22 Dec. 2025
Songwriters expressing pangs of grief for what once was held court with others fretting about undesirable futures and still others dreaming up cooler tomorrows.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2025
At the same time, many of our neighbors have lost jobs to corporate layoffs, government cutbacks and simple chance, and suddenly feel the pangs of hunger in this land of plenty.
—Cardinal Blase Cupich, Mercury News, 27 Nov. 2025
Mira Nair has kept at it for over three decades—whether through Monsoon Wedding (2001), which took Delhi’s chaotic beauty global, or The Namesake (2006), which tenderly captured the sharp pangs of diasporic longing.
—Bhanuj Kappal, Vogue, 15 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pangs
Noun
-
And not only through month-long vacations and pains au chocolat.—
Hannah Seligson,
Vanity Fair,
12 Feb. 2026
-
The Guy, as Sinclair is known on the show, sells to everyone, stressed-out 20-something assistant and cross-dressing stay-at-home dad alike, witnessing their private joys and pains and shortcomings and judging no one.—
Ezra Marcus,
Vulture,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Muscle Aches Together with joint pain, muscle aches and tension throughout your body is common during perimenopause and menopause.—
Jocelyn Solis-Moreira,
Flow Space,
13 Feb. 2026
-
The middle-aged woman cured of breast cancer who now struggles to climb stairs because endocrine therapy has carved away her bone density and caused joint aches.—
Gilberto Lopes,
STAT,
12 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
That case also crashed and burned in court and has been seen by critics as another example of an unnecessary prosecution that hurts the DOJ’s accountability image.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
15 Feb. 2026
-
That is a failure of leadership that hurts everyone.—
Eleanor Dearman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Researchers suggested that future studies should include people who actually experience tingles to better understand how ASMR might help with mental health and relaxation.—
Lucy Notarantonio,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Bautista stabs and shoots his assailants in an operatic eruption of violence that is done in a single, extended shot.—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Milo tries to be a hero, trying to use pepper spray on Morgan, but Morgan stabs and kills him.—
Barry Levitt,
Time,
21 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pangs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pangs. Accessed 19 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
