ache

[eyk]

verb (used without object)

ached, aching 

1. to have or suffer a continuous, dull pain.

   His whole body ached.

   Synonyms: hurt

2. to feel great sympathy, pity, or the like.

   Her heart ached for the starving animals.

3. to feel eager; yearn; long.

   She ached to be the champion. He's just aching to get even.

noun

1. a continuous, dull pain (in contrast to a sharp, sudden, or sporadic pain).

ache

/ eɪk /

verb

1. to feel, suffer, or be the source of a continuous dull pain

2. to suffer mental anguish

noun

1. a continuous dull pain

Other Word Forms

• aching adjective
• achingly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of ache¹

before 900; (v.) Middle English aken, Old English acan; perhaps metaphoric use of earlier unattested sense “drive, impel” (compare Old Norse aka, cognate with Latin agere, Greek ágein ); (noun) derivative of the v.

Word History and Origins

Origin of ache¹

Old English ācan (vb), æce (n), Middle English aken (vb), ache (n). Compare _bake , _batch

Synonym Study

See pain.

Example Sentences

The skill of these stylists, whose fingers ache from their intricate labor, has made it possible for them to make more prosperous lives for themselves in their adopted country.

From Los Angeles Times

It’s the quiet thread that runs between the ache of late November and the relief of May.

From Salon

During the workshops Rice says her hands cramped, her back hurt and her feet ached.

From Los Angeles Times

The same can't be said for flu, which typically adds aches, fevers and muscle weakness into the mix.

From BBC

“I wish it wasn’t this way, but I ache to be understood,” she says.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• anguish 
• misery 
• pang 
• soreness www.thesaurus.com
• spasm 
• twinge