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
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Recent Examples of pangs
Maddie Connors, Los Angeles Times, 16 Mar. 2026
Minnesota fans may have had some mild pangs over parting with Buium or Rossi, but a mid- to late-20s pick for arguably the best defenseman on the planet?
—Sean McIndoe, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2026
The album’s Bandcamp blurb shouts out Ghédalia Tarzatès, the late French composer who collaged his wails and lamentations in the endangered Ladino language to evoke pangs of existential angst.
—H.d. Angel, Pitchfork, 6 Feb. 2026
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
Noun
The book cover trend, imbued with nostalgia for childhood, promises fiction that grapples with the pangs of adulthood in an age of precarity.
—Maddie Connors, Los Angeles Times, 16 Mar. 2026
Minnesota fans may have had some mild pangs over parting with Buium or Rossi, but a mid- to late-20s pick for arguably the best defenseman on the planet?
—Sean McIndoe, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2026
The album’s Bandcamp blurb shouts out Ghédalia Tarzatès, the late French composer who collaged his wails and lamentations in the endangered Ladino language to evoke pangs of existential angst.
—H.d. Angel, Pitchfork, 6 Feb. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pangs
Noun
-
Paktyawal began complaining of shortness of breath and chest pains Friday evening while in a holding room at the Dallas ICE field office and was taken to the hospital for treatment, the agency said.—
Aarón Torres,
Dallas Morning News,
19 Mar. 2026
-
Her understanding of the pleasures and pains of the female body was grounded in her devout beliefs and mysticism.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
People may initially have fever, headache, fatigue, nausea, vomiting or muscle aches.—
Katia Hetter,
CNN Money,
20 Mar. 2026
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Mpox symptoms include a sometimes painful, blistery rash on various parts of the body, fever, chills, exhaustion, muscle aches, headache, swollen lymph nodes and respiratory symptoms, according to the CDC.—
Melissa Rudy,
FOXNews.com,
16 Mar. 2026
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
-
Meester is pure unhinged mean girl personified as the Kaylinn of Gloria’s imagination, contextualizing every Insta post in the most outrageous extremities that only hurts her own sense of self.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
18 Mar. 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
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But this person who was a friend, who owes her career to me, just stabs me in the back.—
Maer Roshan,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Mar. 2026
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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
Cite this Entry
“Pangs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pangs. Accessed 29 Mar. 2026.
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