# ouch

Pronunciation: say "OWCH" /ˈaʊt͡ʃ/

## Interjection

1. A cry uttered in reaction to one's own sudden physical pain.
   - Simple: A sound you make when you suddenly feel pain.
   - _Ouch! That pin just jabbed straight into my thumb._
   - _Ouch, my ankle twisted hard when I landed off the curb._
2. A cry used to show sympathy when someone else is hurt.
   - Simple: A sound you make to show you feel sorry about someone else's pain.
   - _Ouch, that tackle looked like it really knocked the wind out of him._
   - _Ouch. Watching you trip down the stairs made me wince._
3. A response to a cutting insult, often given in a teasing or joking spirit.
   - Simple: A word you say when someone makes a sharp joke or insult about you.
   - _Ouch, calling my poem 'word salad' was a little harsh._
   - _Ouch! Fine, I admit my parking could use some work._
4. A cry expressing disappointment at an unwelcome turn of events.
   - Simple: A word you say when something turns out worse than you hoped.
   - _Ouch, the gallery rejected my submission for the third year running._
   - _Ouch, our flight got canceled the night before the wedding._
5. A cry expressing surprise or dismay at how expensive something is. *(slang)*
   - Simple: A word you say when something costs much more than you thought.
   - _Ouch, three hundred dollars just to fill the tank these days._
   - _Ouch! The new phone costs more than a month of my rent._

## Noun

6. A thing that brings about pain or discomfort. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: Something that hurts you or makes you feel uncomfortable.
   - _The sudden rent increase was a serious ouch for everyone in the building._
   - _Getting cut from the final roster was an ouch she took a while to shake off._
8. Alternative form of ouche. *(literary)* — Alternative form of ouche.
   - Simple: Alternative form of ouche. It means an old, fancy brooch set with jewels.
   - _A ruby ouch glittered at the throat of her gown._
   - _He pinned a heavy gold ouch to the shoulder of his cape._

## Verb

7. To cry out 'ouch' in reaction to discomfort or pain.
   - Simple: To say 'ouch' because you feel pain.
   - _Patients often ouch involuntarily the moment the needle goes in._
   - _He ouched and yanked his hand back from the boiling kettle._

## Origin

The origin is uncertain. Some sources trace the interjection to German autsch, perhaps through Pennsylvania German outch (“cry of pain”), attested from 1838 in American English, since early examples come from Pennsylvania. Others treat it as a simple natural exclamation recorded since the mid-1600s, with the OED even citing a verb “ouch” in 1654.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/ouch (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).