painto feel hurt; suffering; misery; torment; ache, agony, anguishNot to be confused with:pane ? a glass-filled section of a window or doorpang ? a sudden sharp feeling of distress or longing: a pang of desire; a pang of guilt; twinge, ache, throb, stabAbused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embreepain (p?n)n.1. a. An unpleasant feeling occurring as a result of injury or disease, usually localized in some part of the body: felt pains in his chest.b. Bodily suffering characterized by such feelings: drugs to treat pain.2. a. Mental or emotional suffering; distress.b. An instance of this: the pains of humiliation.3. pains The pangs of childbirth.4. pains Great care or effort: taking pains with one’s work.5. Informal A source of annoyance; a nuisance: Stuffing all these envelopes is a real pain.tr.v. pained, pain·ing, pains 1. To cause physical pain to; hurt: My feet really pained me after the hike.2. To cause mental or emotional distress to: “It pained him to remember every little thing about her” (John Irving).Idiom: on/under pain of Subject to the penalty of (a specified punishment, such as death).[Middle English, from Old French peine, from Latin poena, penalty, pain, from Greek poin?, penalty; see kwei- in Indo-European roots.]Synonyms: pain, ache, pang, stitch, throe, twinge These nouns denote a sensation of severe physical discomfort: abdominal pain; aches in my leg; the pangs of a cramped muscle; a stitch in my side; the throes of dying; a twinge of arthritis.American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.pain (pe?n) n1. the sensation of acute physical hurt or discomfort caused by injury, illness, etc2. emotional suffering or mental distress3. on pain of subject to the penalty of4. informal Also called: pain in the neck or pain in the arse (taboo)a person or thing that is a nuisancevb (tr) 5. to cause (a person) distress, hurt, grief, anxiety, etc6. informal to annoy; irritate[C13: from Old French peine, from Latin poena punishment, grief, from Greek poin? penalty]Collins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014pain (pe?n) n. 1. physical suffering typically from injury or illness. 2. an instance of such suffering; a distressing sensation in a part of the body: a back pain. 3. severe mental or emotional distress: the pain of loneliness. 4. pains, a. assiduous care: Take pains with your work. b. the uterine contractions of childbirth. 5. Also called pain in the neck. an annoying or troublesome person or thing. v.t. 6. to cause physical or emotional pain to. v.i. 7. to have or give pain. Idioms: on or under pain of, subject to the penalty of; risking: on pain of death. [1250?1300; Middle English peine punishment, torture, pain