ached; aching
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
He is aching to go.
1
: a usually dull persistent pain
had an ache in his back
2
: a condition marked by aching
looked through the old pictures with a dull ache in her heart
Synonyms
Examples of ache in a Sentence
Verb
Her muscles were aching from shoveling snow.
After running the marathon, his body ached for a week.
The candy's so sweet that it makes my teeth ache.
Noun
He had a dull ache in his back from lifting boxes all day.
a dull pounding ache in his head
Recent Examples on the Web
Stephen Daw, Billboard, 19 Apr. 2024
There’s a baleful, country sound to the score, by the folk duo Jamestown Revival (Jonathan Clay and Zach Chance) and Levine (who is also credited with music supervision, orchestration and arrangements) suited to the Oklahoma setting and an aching desire to escape it.
—Naveen Kumar, Variety, 12 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for ache 
Verb
Name Your Sorrow follows through on the promise of its title, with the group diving headfirst into complicated, aching songs about heartbreak, grief, loss, and ulitmately elation, all encompased in cozy, occasionally haunting indie-rock stylings.
—Stephen Daw, Billboard, 19 Apr. 2024
There’s a baleful, country sound to the score, by the folk duo Jamestown Revival (Jonathan Clay and Zach Chance) and Levine (who is also credited with music supervision, orchestration and arrangements) suited to the Oklahoma setting and an aching desire to escape it.
—Naveen Kumar, Variety, 12 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for ache
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ache.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Ache.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ache. Accessed 3 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Medical Definition
ache
2 of 3 noun1
: a usually dull persistent pain
2
: a condition marked by aching
AChE
3 of 3 abbreviation
acetylcholinesterase
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