pain in the head, caused by dilation of cerebral arteries, muscle contraction, insufficient oxygen in the cerebral blood, reaction to drugs, etc any cause of worry, difficulty, or annoyance
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
head•ache /ˈhɛdˌeɪk/USA pronunciation
n. [countable]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- Pathologya pain located in the head:woke up with a throbbing headache.
- an annoying or bothersome person, situation, etc.:Another headache on the campaign trail was the reporters who wouldn't leave us alone.
head•ache
(hed′āk′),USA pronunciation n.
- Pathologya pain located in the head, as over the eyes, at the temples, or at the base of the skull.
- an annoying or bothersome person, situation, activity, etc.
- bef. 1000; Middle English; Old English hēafodece. See head, ache
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
'tension headache' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):