American English
/pʰeɪnz/
One syllable.
Form of pain
Unpleasant physical feelings caused by injuries, illnesses, or other problems in the body.
Practice out loudUnpleasant physical feelings caused by injuries, illnesses, or other problems in the body.
The doctor asked about the pains in her chest.
His back pains returned after the long flight.
Pains usually refers to separate aches or painful sensations, while pain is more common for physical suffering in general.
Strong feelings of emotional suffering caused by loss, rejection, or other difficult experiences.
The pains of losing her brother never fully disappeared.
He spoke openly about the pains caused by the divorce.
People or things that are annoying or difficult to deal with.
Those two children are real pains when they are tired.
The repeated computer errors are constant pains for the staff.
Causes someone physical or emotional suffering.
It pains her to see her son leave.
The memory still pains him after all these years.
As a verb, pains is formal; in everyday speech, hurts is usually more natural.
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.