If you have a headache, you have a pain in your head.
I have had a terrible headache for the last two days.
Synonyms: migraine, head [informal], neuralgia, cephalalgia [medicine] More Synonyms of headache
2. countable noun
If you say that something is a headache, you mean that it causes you difficulty or worry.
The airline's biggest headache is the increase in the price of aviation fuel.
This is a real headache for us.
Synonyms: problem, worry, trouble, bother More Synonyms of headache
headache in British English
(ˈhɛdˌeɪk)
noun
1.
pain in the head, caused by dilation of cerebral arteries, muscle contraction, insufficient oxygen in the cerebral blood, reaction to drugs, etc
Technical name: cephalalgia
2. informal
any cause of worry, difficulty, or annoyance
headache in American English
(ˈhɛdˌeɪk)
noun
1.
a continuous pain in the head
2. US, Informal
a cause of worry, annoyance, or trouble
Word origin
ME hevedeche < OE heafodece
COBUILD Collocations
headache
terrible headache
Examples of 'headache' in a sentence
headache
Some of these toxins have been found to cause headaches.
The Sun (2016)
But a big headache for weather forecasters during the day was where and when the next dumping of snow would happen.
The Sun (2017)
Take headaches and back pain, for instance.
The Sun (2016)
I felt so guilty, had a terrible headache in the morning and felt sick.
The Sun (2016)
Constitutional showdowns between the two houses rarely end well for the Lords, and the country does not need yet another constitutional headache.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
My first job is to list the fruit I most enjoy eating, because the biggest headache is the possibility of a glut.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
This will give some show judges a real headache next year.
The Sun (2013)
One of the biggest headaches is a lack of consistency between the various regimes.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
It always leaves me with terrible headaches.
The Sun (2015)
Then there is the two areas of policy that have caused the biggest headaches for the coalition.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
This has made picking our favourites a real headache.
The Sun (2010)
One of the biggest headaches for music festival organisers is providing enough lavatories.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Then the real security headache will begin.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
But the biggest headache was those new sash windows.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Some of the administration has been a real headache.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
The drop in the value of the pound is another headache for retailers that stock their shops from overseas.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Can diet curb my terrible headaches?
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Increasingly tough competition is another headache.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
On the first day of her fast, a terrible headache set in.
Randolph, Theron G. & Moss, Ralph W. (contributor) An Alternative Approach to Allergies (1990)
But the over-the-top celebrations caused another headache.
The Sun (2010)
Yoga can also bring down blood pressure, which can cause headaches.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
I had no pain, no headaches and no swelling.
The Sun (2009)
I had headaches, stomach pains and dizzy spells.
The Sun (2011)
The moves also mean a headache for self-employed people who earn around 50,000.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
This is because our emotional vocabulary is limited and we feel more comfortable talking about headaches, stomach pains and strained muscles than about our feelings.
Knowles, Jane Know Your Own Mind (1991)
But, within a year, the headaches and leg pains returned.
The Sun (2006)
Any payouts potentially mean a headache for those banks, including ones outside the eurozone, that wrote such protection.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
In other languages
headache
British English: headache /ˈhɛdˌeɪk/ NOUN
If you have a headache, you have a pain in your head.
I have a terrible headache.
American English: headache
Arabic: صُدَاع
Brazilian Portuguese: dor de cabeça
Chinese: 头疼
Croatian: glavobolja
Czech: bolení hlavy
Danish: hovedpine
Dutch: hoofdpijn
European Spanish: dolor de cabeza
Finnish: päänsärky
French: mal de tête
German: Kopfschmerzen
Greek: πονοκέφαλος
Italian: mal di testa
Japanese: 頭痛
Korean: 두통
Norwegian: hodepine
Polish: ból głowy
European Portuguese: dor de cabeça
Romanian: migrenă
Russian: головная боль
Latin American Spanish: dolor de cabeza
Swedish: huvudvärk
Thai: ปวดหัว
Turkish: baş ağrısı
Ukrainian: головний біль
Vietnamese: chứng nhức đầu
Chinese translation of 'headache'
headache
(ˈhɛdeɪk)
n(c)
(= pain) 头(頭)痛 (tóutòng) (阵(陣), zhèn)
(= problem) 令人头(頭)疼的问(問)题(題) (lìngrén tóuténg de wèntí) (个(個), gè)
to have a headache头(頭)痛 (tóutòng)
to be a headache (for sb)[problem]是件(令某人)头(頭)痛的事 (shì jiàn (lìng mǒurén) tóutòng de shì)
1 (noun)
Definition
a continuous pain in the head
I have had a terrible headache for the past two days.
Synonyms
migraine
head (informal)
neuralgia
cephalalgia (medicine)
2 (noun)
Definition
any cause of worry, difficulty, or annoyance
(informal)
Their biggest headache is the increase in the price of fuel.
Synonyms
problem
the economic problems of the inner city
worry
Robert's health had always been a worry to his wife.
trouble
He's no trouble at all, but his brother is rude and selfish.
bother
Most men hate the bother of shaving.
nuisance
He can be a bit of a nuisance when he's drunk.
It's a real nuisance having to pick up the kids from school every day.
inconvenience
We apologize for any inconvenience caused during the repairs.
bane
Spots can be the bane of a teenager.
vexation
the tribulations and vexations we have to put up with
Additional synonyms
in the sense of bane
Definition
a person or thing that causes misery or distress
Spots can be the bane of a teenager.
Synonyms
plague (informal),
bête noire,
trial,
disaster,
evil,
ruin,
burden,
destruction,
despair,
misery,
curse,
pest,
torment,
woe,
nuisance,
downfall,
calamity,
scourge,
affliction
in the sense of bother
Definition
a state of worry, trouble, or confusion
Most men hate the bother of shaving.
Synonyms
trouble,
problem,
worry,
difficulty,
strain,
grief (British, South Africa),
fuss,
pest,
irritation,
hassle (informal),
nuisance,
flurry,
uphill (South Africa),
inconvenience,
annoyance,
aggravation (informal),
vexation
in the sense of inconvenience
Definition
a state or instance of trouble or difficulty
We apologize for any inconvenience caused during the repairs.