as in to whine
to express dissatisfaction, pain, or resentment usually tiresomely
the time-honored tradition of new recruits complaining about the food in the mess hall
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of complain
On Saturday the Brazilian government complained about the treatment of immigrants deported from the United States, saying Brazilian immigrants returning to their country had been handcuffed while on the U.S. planes that transported them.
—
Sonia Osorio, Miami Herald, 26 Jan. 2025
Some fans may complain about the perception that the Chiefs get favorable calls or that Taylor Swift appears on the broadcast too often.
—Matthew Fairburn, The Athletic, 25 Jan. 2025
Last October, a Spirit customer took to social media to complain that she and three others, including a toddler, were removed from their flight because two women in the group were wearing crop tops.
—Caroline Petrow-Cohen, Los Angeles Times, 24 Jan. 2025
Many residents at the town hall complained about feeling unsafe at their local Giant or Weis supermarkets, seeing panhandlers, loitering and graffiti in and around these areas.
—Racquel Bazos, Baltimore Sun, 16 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for complain 
Sonia Osorio, Miami Herald, 26 Jan. 2025
Some fans may complain about the perception that the Chiefs get favorable calls or that Taylor Swift appears on the broadcast too often.
—Matthew Fairburn, The Athletic, 25 Jan. 2025
Last October, a Spirit customer took to social media to complain that she and three others, including a toddler, were removed from their flight because two women in the group were wearing crop tops.
—Caroline Petrow-Cohen, Los Angeles Times, 24 Jan. 2025
Many residents at the town hall complained about feeling unsafe at their local Giant or Weis supermarkets, seeing panhandlers, loitering and graffiti in and around these areas.
—Racquel Bazos, Baltimore Sun, 16 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for complain
Recent Examples of Synonyms for complain
Verb
-
Austin appeared in the second segment, playing a woman being driven to distraction by her endlessly whining husband with Jean-Baptiste as her sibling.—
Baz Bamigboye,
Deadline,
9 Jan. 2025
-
After lots of whining from Jenny and a dust incident that has Jordan hamming it up like a soccer player flopping for a foul, the players tuck in for a few hours of sleep.—
Emma Sharpe,
Vulture,
1 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
Are we meant to sympathize with this creature as people scream in terror and call it a monster and attack it and scream for it to be shot?—
Erik Kain,
Forbes,
18 Jan. 2025
-
Ahmad would scream in terror, afraid of something beyond his family’s perception.—
Alia Malek,
New York Times,
17 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
Jasmine moans with pleasure as Gino traces her legs with his tongue.—
Abigail Adams,
People.com,
22 Dec. 2024
-
Many of the patients were critically ill and moaning in pain from broken bones, head gashes and other injuries blamed on Tropical Storm Helene.—
Beth Warren,
The Tennessean,
20 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
While several teams reportedly grumbled about the terms behind closed doors, the weight of financial considerations and potential consequences, such as losing charter status, compelled many to accept the deal.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
3 Jan. 2025
-
There had been plenty of grumbling about his aging, although in fairness much of it came from anonymous sources griping to the press, and some complaints had an ableist ring to them.—
Nathaniel Rakich,
ABC News,
23 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
The soldiers muttered encouragement; their horses nickered.—
Tom Vanden Brook,
USA TODAY,
6 Jan. 2025
-
Philippe Myers knelt on the side of Canada’s busiest highway and muttered a few curse words about his luck.—
Joshua Kloke,
The Athletic,
4 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
Another worried the fire had crept out of the Palisades toward Santa Monica Canyon, endangering his house.—
Shawn Hubler,
New York Times,
20 Jan. 2025
-
As writers stopped worrying about viewers losing the thread, their shows started resembling ultra-long films.—
Daniel Immerwahr,
The New Yorker,
20 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near complain
Cite this Entry
“Complain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/complain. Accessed 1 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share