toothache

toothache — noun

1. pain that you feel in a tooth or in several of your teeth, usually because of de

1.nounA2
Definition

pain that you feel in a tooth or in several of your teeth, usually because of decay, infection, or injury

Example

Eve had a terrible toothache and could not eat anything cold.

collocation: have + a + toothache

Darius went to the dentist because he kept getting toothaches after meals.

collocation: get + toothaches (repeated instances)

Common collocations
  • have a toothache
  • get a toothache
  • suffer from toothache
  • toothache pain
  • toothache remedy
Synonyms
  • dental pain

    more formal and clinical; used by dentists and in medical writing

  • tooth pain

    more literal; describes the sensation without the idiomatic compound form

Grammar Patterns

have + a + toothache

get + toothaches

suffer from + toothache

Usage Note

Frequently used in the singular with the article 'a' (I have a toothache). The plural form 'toothaches' is also common when referring to separate episodes. Some British English speakers occasionally omit the article (I have toothache), but this is rare in American English.

Common Mistakes

My toothache is very big.
My toothache is very bad.
pain is described with 'bad', 'severe', 'terrible', or 'intense', not 'big'.
I have a teethache.
I have a toothache.
the compound word keeps 'tooth' in singular even when multiple teeth hurt.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

'Toothache' is the everyday word for pain coming from a tooth; it suggests a familiar, personal experience — you go to bed with a toothache, you call the dentist about a toothache. 'Tooth pain' is more literal and descriptive, often used when specifying the location or type of sensation (a sharp tooth pain, a dull tooth pain). 'Dental pain' is the clinical term used by healthcare professionals; it covers a broader range including gum pain and jaw pain, not just pain from the tooth itself. For daily conversation, 'toothache' is the natural choice; use 'tooth pain' when you want to describe the sensation precisely, and 'dental pain' in formal or medical contexts.

dental paintooth paintoothache ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • have a toothache
  • get a toothache
  • suffer from a toothache
  • complain of a toothache
  • a bad toothache
  • a terrible toothache

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

Comes from Old English 'tōþcece', a compound word: 'tōþ' (tooth) and 'æce' (ache or pain). The spelling shifted over time from the Old English form through Middle English 'tooth-ache' to the modern single-word 'toothache'.