gripe

1 of 2

verb

griped; griping

intransitive verb

1
: to complain with grumbling
Students griped about having too much homework.
2
: to experience gripes

transitive verb

1
a
: irritate, vex
griped by the new regulations
2
: to cause pinching and spasmodic pain in the bowels of
3
archaic : seize, grasp
griper noun

gripe

2 of 2

noun

1
: grievance, complaint
Her main gripe was his utter lack of ambition.
2
: a pinching spasmodic intestinal pain
usually used in plural
3
archaic : clutch, grasp
broadly : control, mastery

Examples of gripe in a Sentence

Verb All of the workers were griping about the new regulations. The students griped that they had too much homework. Noun I would rather not listen to gripes about your latest disasters in the dating game.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Chinese users have griped about Apple’s delay in releasing its AI in mainland China. Lionel Lim, Fortune Asia, 23 Oct. 2024 The sister also griped about her hotel room, accusing the bride of intentionally giving her a smaller room than the other maid-of-honor. Erin Clack, People.com, 23 Oct. 2024
Noun
One of our gripes with the original Scribe was that your Kindle notes are in a closed ecosystem. David Pierce, The Verge, 16 Oct. 2024 Or is this a case where a very high bar for success combined with a passionate fandom’s gripes tend to obscure what is otherwise a hugely popular and lucrative franchise? James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for gripe 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gripe.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

Middle English, from Old English grīpan; akin to Old High German grīfan to grasp, Lithuanian griebti

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 3

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Time Traveler
The first known use of gripe was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near gripe

Cite this Entry

“Gripe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gripe. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

gripe

1 of 2 verb
griped; griping
1
archaic : to seize firmly : grip
2
b
: irritate sense 1, vex
laziness gripes our teacher
3
: to cause or experience spasms of pain in the intestines
4
griper noun

gripe

2 of 2 noun
1
2
3
: a spasm of pain in the intestines

Medical Definition

gripe

1 of 2 verb
griped; griping

transitive verb

: to cause pinching and spasmodic pain in the bowels of

intransitive verb

: to experience gripes

gripe

2 of 2 noun
: a pinching spasmodic intestinal pain
usually used in plural

More from Merriam-Webster on gripe

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!