Meaning & use
throbbing pain
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Meanings
nouncountable or uncountable
A pain that beats or pulses in a regular rhythm, like a heartbeat, often in a small area of the body.
Grammar: Use 'a throbbing pain' for one episode, or 'throbbing pain' in general: I felt a throbbing pain in my finger.
Patterns
- a throbbing pain in something
- have a throbbing pain
- feel a throbbing pain
After the injection, she had a throbbing pain in her upper arm all evening.
He described a throbbing pain behind his eye that got worse when he bent down.
The dentist asked whether the throbbing pain came and went or stayed constant.
noununcountable
A continuing, pulsing discomfort that feels like it matches the beat of your heart.
Grammar: Used without 'a' when you talk about the sensation in a general way: the throbbing pain spread up his leg.
Patterns
- the throbbing pain spread
- throbbing pain in time with your heartbeat
The throbbing pain spread from her ankle up to her knee.
He lay still, listening to the throbbing pain in his jaw keep time with his pulse.
Common combinations
- a throbbing pain in your head
- She woke with a throbbing pain in her head and could not face breakfast.
- throbbing pain in time with your heartbeat
- The wound gave him throbbing pain in time with his heartbeat.
- a dull throbbing pain
- What started as a dull throbbing pain soon became sharp.
- ease the throbbing pain
- A cold pack helped ease the throbbing pain in his wrist.
- a throbbing pain behind the eyes
- Many people with sinus trouble report a throbbing pain behind the eyes.
Synonyms and how they differ
- aching pain
- An aching pain is continuous and dull rather than pulsing, so it fits a sore muscle better than a tooth abscess.
- stabbing pain
- A stabbing pain is sudden and sharp, like a knife, while a throbbing pain repeats in a steady rhythm.
- soreness
- Soreness is a general tender feeling in an area and does not suggest the beat-by-beat pulsing of a throbbing pain.
Word family
Commonly confused: throbbing pain or throbbing vein? throbbing pain or numbing pain?
throbbing pain vs throbbing vein
A throbbing vein is a visible blood vessel that pulses; a throbbing pain is the uncomfortable feeling itself.
throbbing pain vs numbing pain
Numbing pain makes an area feel dead or without sensation, which is the opposite of the lively pulsing of a throbbing pain.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'throbbing pain' most naturally?
Choose one answer.
We normally say a pain 'in' a part of the body, so 'in her tooth' is correct. 'Of' does not show location, 'with' suggests company rather than place, and 'on' is used for surfaces, not for a pain inside a tooth.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “throbbing pain”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.