complained; complaining; complains
1
: to express grief, pain, or discontent
complaining about the weather
2
: to make a formal accusation or charge
He threatened to complain of him to the captain.
complainer
noun
Synonyms
Examples of complain in a Sentence
He works hard but he never complains.
If you're unhappy with the service, you should complain to the manager.
The students complained that the test was too hard.
“These shoes are too tight,” he complained.
Recent Examples on the Web
Girding for battle at USC Pay is at the center of union organizing at USC, where non-tenure track professors complain of semester-to-semester contracts with little job security, minimal or nonexistent raises and moves by the university to cut benefits.
—
Jaweed Kaleem, Los Angeles Times, 16 Dec. 2024
If corporate leaders complain about these directives’ effects on their bottom lines, Trump’s team could force CISA to scale back its use of this authority.
—Eric Geller, WIRED, 16 Dec. 2024
The chain is led by a former heart surgeon who collected more than $100 million in compensation and bought a $40 million yacht while employees at Steward hospitals complained about a lack of basic supplies, according to a Senate committee.
—Ken Alltucker, USA TODAY, 15 Dec. 2024
The Thunder up until then had been complaining about a lack of respect toward them from outsiders.
—Joe Vardon, The Athletic, 14 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for complain 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Jaweed Kaleem, Los Angeles Times, 16 Dec. 2024
If corporate leaders complain about these directives’ effects on their bottom lines, Trump’s team could force CISA to scale back its use of this authority.
—Eric Geller, WIRED, 16 Dec. 2024
The chain is led by a former heart surgeon who collected more than $100 million in compensation and bought a $40 million yacht while employees at Steward hospitals complained about a lack of basic supplies, according to a Senate committee.
—Ken Alltucker, USA TODAY, 15 Dec. 2024
The Thunder up until then had been complaining about a lack of respect toward them from outsiders.
—Joe Vardon, The Athletic, 14 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for complain
Dictionary Entries Near complain
Cite this Entry
“Complain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/complain. Accessed 31 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
complain
verb
com·plain
kəm-ˈplān 
1
: to express grief, pain, or discontent : find fault
complaining about the weather
2
: to accuse someone of wrongdoing
complainer
noun
Medical Definition
complain
intransitive verb
com·plain
kəm-ˈplān
: to speak of one's illness or symptoms
the patient visited the office complaining of weight loss
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share