pang

/pæŋ/

/pæŋ/

Other forms: pangs

A pang is a sharp jab or an intense hurt that comes on suddenly. If you've felt an all-of-a-sudden, deep sadness that seems to hit you even in the back of the eyes, you've probably had a pang of emotion over a loss or a tragic story.

You can feel a physical pain or pang right when you get hurt, or you might suffer a pang of guilt that keeps popping up if you don't own up to something bad. Pang sounds close to pain, and it is pain, but it has a sharper edge — it's intense and comes on fast. A childbirth pain often is called a pang, because it's such a unique type of hurting. Having a pang of regret can be almost as sharp.

Definitions of pang

1. noun

   a sudden sharp feeling
   “pangs of regret”

   synonyms: stab, twinge

   types:

   guilt pang

   pangs of feeling guilty

   type of:

   feeling

   the experiencing of affective and emotional states
2. noun

   a sharp spasm of pain
   types:

   birth pangs, labor pains, labour pains

   a regularly recurrent spasm of pain that is characteristic of childbirth

   afterpains

   pains felt by a woman after her baby is born; associated with contractions of the uterus

   type of:

   hurting, pain

   a symptom of some physical hurt or disorder
3. noun

   a mental pain or distress
   “a pang of conscience”

   synonyms: sting

   type of:

   hurting, pain

   a symptom of some physical hurt or disorder