| Pains (n.) Labor; toilsome effort; care or trouble taken; -- plural in form, but used with a singular or plural verb, commonly the former. Thesaurus Entries assiduity, assiduousness, diligence, effort, elbow grease, endeavor, energy, exertion, hard pull, industriousness, industry, long pull, might and main, muscle, nerve and sinew, painstaking, painstakingness, sedulousness, thoroughgoingness, thoroughness, trouble |