earache

American  

[eer-eyk] / ˈɪərˌeɪk /

noun

1. pain in the ear; otalgia.

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earache British  

/ ˈɪərˌeɪk /

noun

1. Technical name: otalgia.  pain in the middle or inner ear Compare otitis

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Etymology

Origin of earache

First recorded in 1650–60; ear ¹ + ache

Example Sentences

Antibiotic use is driven largely by common colds, which produce secondary bacterial things like sore throat, earache, nasal congestion, sinusitis.

From Slate • Oct. 8, 2025

A pharmacist had recommended she visit a doctor following a bout of earache.

From BBC • Jun. 11, 2024

One takeaway, Nittrouer says, is for parents, physicians, and speech pathologists to continue monitoring children long after the last preschool earache fades away.

From Science Daily • Jan. 3, 2024

“My grandson coughs in the evening, and it’s terrible,” said Brown, a Realtor who has battled headaches, a sore throat and an earache.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 25, 2021

And there in the spreading chestnut tree were the knife, the dog, the fish, the old woman, the candlestick—all circled by my own hand, shaky with earache, years and years before.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides