B1 a continuous pain that is unpleasant but not very strong:
As you get older, you have all sorts of aches and pains.
I've got a dull (= slight) ache in my lower back.
B1 used in combinations with parts of the body to mean a continuous pain in the stated part:
earache/a headache/toothache/backache
I've had a stomach ache all morning.