Dictionary.com

pain

[ peyn ]
/ peɪn /
Save This Word!
See synonyms for: pain / pained / pains on Thesaurus.com

noun
verb (used with object)
to cause physical pain to; hurt.
to cause (someone) mental or emotional pain; distress: Your sarcasm pained me.
verb (used without object)
to have or give pain.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?

Idioms about pain

Origin of pain

1250–1300; Middle English peine punishment, torture, pain <Old French <Latin poena penalty, pain <Greek poinḗ penalty

synonym study for pain

1-3. Pain , ache , agony , anguish are terms for sensations causing suffering or torment. Pain and ache usually refer to physical sensations (except heartache ); agony and anguish may be physical or mental. Pain suggests a sudden sharp twinge: a pain in one's ankle. Ache applies to a continuous pain, whether acute or dull: headache; muscular aches. Agony implies a continuous, excruciating, scarcely endurable pain: in agony from a wound. Anguish suggests not only extreme and long-continued pain, but also a feeling of despair. 4a. See care.

OTHER WORDS FROM pain

un·der·pain, nounun·pain·ing, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use pain in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for pain

pain
/ (peɪn) /

noun
the sensation of acute physical hurt or discomfort caused by injury, illness, etc
emotional suffering or mental distress
on pain of subject to the penalty of
Also called: pain in the neck, (taboo) pain in the arse informal a person or thing that is a nuisance
verb (tr)
to cause (a person) distress, hurt, grief, anxiety, etc
informal to annoy; irritate
See also pains

Word Origin for pain

C13: from Old French peine, from Latin poena punishment, grief, from Greek poinē penalty
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with pain

pain

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
FEEDBACK