Adjacent Words

Ache definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

ACHE, v.i. ake. [Gr. to ache or be in pain. The primary sense is to be pressed. Perhaps the oriental to press.]
1. To suffer pain; to have or be in pain, or in continued pain; as, the head aches.
2. To suffer grief, or extreme grief; to be distressed; as the heart aches.
ACHE, n. ake. Pain, or continued pain, in opposition to sudden twinges, or spasmodic pain. it denotes a more moderate degree of pain than pang, anguish, and torture.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a dull persistent (usually moderately intense) pain [syn: ache, aching] v
1: feel physical pain; "Were you hurting after the accident?" [syn: hurt, ache, suffer]
2: have a desire for something or someone who is not present; "She ached for a cigarette"; "I am pining for my lover" [syn: ache, yearn, yen, pine, languish]
3: be the source of pain [syn: ache, smart, hurt]

Merriam Webster's

I. intransitive verb (ached; aching) Etymology: Middle English aken, from Old English acan Date: before 12th century 1. a. to suffer a usually dull persistent pain <an aching back> b. to become distressed or disturbed (as with anxiety or regret) <aching with sadness> c. to feel compassion <my heart aches for those poor people> 2. to experience a painful eagerness or yearning <they were aching to go> II. noun Date: before 12th century 1. a usually dull persistent pain 2. a condition marked by aching

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & v. --n. 1 a continuous or prolonged dull pain. 2 mental distress. --v.intr. 1 suffer from or be the source of an ache (I ached all over; my left leg ached). 2 (foll. by to + infin.) desire greatly (we ached to be at home again). Derivatives: achingly adv. Etymology: ME f. OE æce, acan

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Ache Ache, n. [OE. ache, AS. [ae]ce, ece, fr. acan to ache. See Ache, v. i.] Continued pain, as distinguished from sudden twinges, or spasmodic pain. ``Such an ache in my bones.'' --Shak. Note: Often used in composition, as, a headache, an earache, a toothache.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Ache Ache, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Ached; p. pr. & vb. n. Aching.] [OE. aken, AS. acan, both strong verbs, AS. acan, imp. [=o]c, p. p. acen, to ache; perh. orig. to drive, and akin to agent.] To suffer pain; to have, or be in, pain, or in continued pain; to be distressed. ``My old bones ache.'' --Shak. The sins that in your conscience ache. --Keble.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Ach Ach, Ache Ache, n. [F. ache, L. apium parsley.] A name given to several species of plants; as, smallage, wild celery, parsley. [Obs.] --Holland.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(aches, aching, ached) 1. If you ache or a part of your body aches, you feel a steady, fairly strong pain. Her head was throbbing and she ached all over... My leg still aches when I sit down... The weary walkers soothed their aching feet in the sea. VERB: V adv/prep, V, V-ing 2. An ache is a steady, fairly strong pain in a part of your body. Poor posture can cause neck ache, headaches and breathing problems. N-COUNT: usu with supp, oft N in n, n N see also backache, headache, heartache, stomach ache 3. If you ache for something or your heart aches, you want something very much, and feel very unhappy because you cannot have it. (WRITTEN) She still ached for the lost intimacy and sexual contact of marriage... It was quite an achievement to keep smiling when his heart must have been aching. = long, yearn VERB: V for n, V 4. You can use aches and pains to refer in a general way to any minor pains that you feel in your body. It seems to ease all the aches and pains of a hectic and tiring day. PHRASE

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. n. Aching, dull pain, continued pain, pain, anguish, agony. II. v. n. 1. Be in pain, feel or suffer pain. 2. Be painful, give pain, be anguished, sorrow, grieve, suffer.

Moby Thesaurus

ache for, ache to, aching, agonize, ail, angina, anguish, backache, be dying for, be dying to, be hurting for, bellyache, blanch, bleed, blench, blow, brood over, burn to, cephalalgia, chilblains, chill, chilliness, chilling, choose to, clamor for, cold creeps, cold shivers, colic, collywobbles, cramp, crave, creeps, cry for, cryopathy, cut, dearly love to, distress, dithers, dolor, duck bumps, earache, feel pain, feel the pangs, fret, frostbite, gape for, gnawing, go hard with, goose bumps, goose pimples, gooseflesh, grief, grieve, grimace, gripe, gripes, gut-ache, hanker, have a misery, headache, heartburn, hemicrania, hone for, hope for, horripilation, hunger, hurt, injury, itch for, itch to, kibe, languish for, lesion, like to, long, long for, long to, longing, love to, lust for, megrim, migraine, misery, mope, mourn, nasty blow, odontalgia, otalgia, pain, pang, pant for, passion, pine, pine away, pine for, pound, pounding, pyrosis, rack, shivering, shivers, shock, shoot, shrink, sick headache, sigh for, smart, smarting, sore, sore spot, soreness, sorrow, spasm, splitting headache, spoil for, sting, stitch, stomachache, stress, stress of life, stroke, suffer, suffer anguish, suffering, take on, tender spot, thirst for, thrill, throb, throbbing, throbbing pain, throes, tingle, toothache, twinge, twitch, want to, weary for, wince, wish for, wish to, wound, wrench, writhe, yearn, yearn for, yen for