American English
/pʰeɪn/
One syllable.
An unpleasant feeling in your body caused by an injury, illness, or another physical problem.
Practice out loudAn unpleasant feeling in your body caused by an injury, illness, or another physical problem.
I have pain in my lower back.
The medicine helped reduce her pain.
For general physical suffering, usually say pain, not a pain: I’m in pain.
severe pain · back pain · pain medication · relieve pain
have pain in + body part
pain caused by + injury or illness
Strong emotional suffering caused by loss, rejection, or another difficult experience.
She felt deep pain after her father died.
Talking can help ease the pain of loss.
emotional pain · deep pain · ease the pain · the pain of loss
the pain of + noun or gerund
emotional pain after + event
A person or thing that is annoying or difficult to deal with.
Filling out these forms is a pain.
My noisy neighbor is such a pain.
a real pain
be a pain to + verb
be a pain for + person
To cause someone physical or emotional suffering.
It pains me to see her so unhappy.
The loss pained him for many years.
As a verb, pain is more formal than hurt. In everyday speech, say It hurts.
pain someone deeply · it pains me to say
something pains + person
it pains + person + to + verb
feeling physical suffering
He was in pain after the operation.
a very annoying person or thing
That computer problem is a pain in the neck.
used to say that something makes you feel very sad
It pains me to leave my family.