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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of complain
Having voted to reject the embassy in 2022, some councilors complained that the government was brushing aside their concerns, including fears that the Chinese could tap into sensitive communications lines that run into the City of London.
—
Mark Landler, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2025
Don’t expect Warren senior guard Owen Squires to complain about the 3-point trend in basketball.
—Steve Reaven, Chicago Tribune, 20 Feb. 2025
The injuries and/or damages complained of in the complaint, if any, were caused solely, directly and proximately by the negligent and/or intentional acts or omissions of person other than answering defendant.
—Daniela Avila, People.com, 19 Feb. 2025
Some council members complained that the repayment structure, which delays principal payments for at least 19 years and costs taxpayers almost $2 billion, needs to be rethought.
—Monica Eng, Axios, 19 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for complain
Mark Landler, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2025
Don’t expect Warren senior guard Owen Squires to complain about the 3-point trend in basketball.
—Steve Reaven, Chicago Tribune, 20 Feb. 2025
The injuries and/or damages complained of in the complaint, if any, were caused solely, directly and proximately by the negligent and/or intentional acts or omissions of person other than answering defendant.
—Daniela Avila, People.com, 19 Feb. 2025
Some council members complained that the repayment structure, which delays principal payments for at least 19 years and costs taxpayers almost $2 billion, needs to be rethought.
—Monica Eng, Axios, 19 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for complain
Recent Examples of Synonyms for complain
Verb
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Rather than obediently following instructions, the Labrador made his displeasure known in an unmistakably human-like manner—growling, whining and huffing in defiance while facing his owners.—
Tom Rogers,
Newsweek,
20 Feb. 2025
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In a slice of rich irony, OpenAI itself began to whine a couple of weeks ago when a Chinese rival, DeepSeek, garnered sudden attention.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
17 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Preston Turano, a veterinarian and spokesperson at Felix Cat Insurance, told Newsweek that yelling, screaming, and physical punishment should never be used when training or communicating with your cat.—
Mark Joseph,
Newsweek,
23 Feb. 2025
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Moments after an emphatic two-handed jam in the closing seconds that sealed Sherman Oaks Notre Dame’s 68-61 upset of Harvard-Westlake on Friday night in Studio City, Tyran Stokes clenched both fists, turned toward his teammates and screamed at the top of his lungs.—
Steve Galluzzo,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Men writhe and moan in the shadows just out of sight as a young gay man walks through the dark room at Adonis, Copenhagen’s only gay sauna.—
David Opie,
IndieWire,
27 Jan. 2025
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Shows that not all football teams need to be Champions League contenders and not all fans need to be moaning about the failings of their club.—
Richard Sutcliffe,
The Athletic,
22 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Some Walmart shoppers are grumbling about the retailer's self-checkout lanes.—
Mike Snider,
USA TODAY,
19 Feb. 2025
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Some Russian cheerleaders of the war grumbled on social media that a deal with the United States could sell out the soldiers on the battlefield.—
Anton Troianovski,
New York Times,
13 Feb. 2025
Verb
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But unlike France — which has both Napoleonic history and darkly muttering existentialists wandering the streets of Paris to remind everyone just how bad things can get — we Americans have no natural immunity.—
Pat Beall,
Orlando Sentinel,
18 Feb. 2025
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Several people are pacing up and down the crowd muttering a headcount to themselves to figure out their number in line.—
Nick Robins-Early,
Vulture,
14 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Book was worried when her sister first told her of her relationship with Holder, explaining that Pike had allegedly been verbally and physically abused in some of her past relationships.—
PJ Green,
Kansas City Star,
25 Feb. 2025
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Don't worry; all these dates and figures may seem complicated.—
David Rae,
Forbes,
25 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Complain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/complain. Accessed 4 Mar. 2025.
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