as in whine
an expression of dissatisfaction, pain, or resentment
patiently posed for dozens of photographs without so much as a whimper
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1
as in to cry
to utter feeble plaintive cries
the dog whimpered to be let in
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2
as in to complain
to express dissatisfaction, pain, or resentment usually tiresomely
a good-hearted person, but given to whimpering about trifles
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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of whimper
Ethan Baron, The Mercury News, 28 July 2024
These rules had evolved during previous crises, and the resolution of the standoff in Cuba helped restore and reinforce them, allowing the Cold War to end with a whimper rather than a bang.
—Graham Allison, Foreign Affairs, 1 July 2012
David Faris, Newsweek, 9 July 2024
The wife had never heard this man plead or whimper or whine.
—Joyce Carol Oates, The New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for whimper 
Noun
So far, the bang for the buck has mostly been a whimper, while serious problems abound.
—Ethan Baron, The Mercury News, 28 July 2024
These rules had evolved during previous crises, and the resolution of the standoff in Cuba helped restore and reinforce them, allowing the Cold War to end with a whimper rather than a bang.
—Graham Allison, Foreign Affairs, 1 July 2012
Verb
As soon as the title of the film is said, Layla, who is standing with a toy in her mouth, immediately runs in front of the TV, whimpering and whining in anticipation.
—David Faris, Newsweek, 9 July 2024
The wife had never heard this man plead or whimper or whine.
—Joyce Carol Oates, The New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for whimper
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whimper
Noun
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The ground crew starts the engines externally, filling the air with an urgent whine.J. George Gorant, Robb Report, 5 Dec. 2024
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Reports of this plan were toasted by professional cynics with a similar whine.Bob Raissman, New York Daily News, 10 Aug. 2024
Verb
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Mostly, Coleman is there for whenever someone needs to talk — or cry — with a trusted confidant.Hannah Wiley, Los Angeles Times, 19 Dec. 2024
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Now there’s even more to cry about, as Lark has wiped Brady’s bank account clean and disappeared into thin air.Jessica Radloff, Glamour, 19 Dec. 2024
Verb
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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
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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
Noun
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The ultimate effect is paradoxical: the more that Valéry eliminates the ghost of pain and passion from the logical machinery of his work, the starker and more affecting the moans and cries of the ghost become.Benjamin Kunkel, The New Yorker, 9 Dec. 2024
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Against Notre Dame, the collective moan in the Coliseum with yet another last-minute loss because of Riley’s poor play calling was the breaking point for this lifelong Trojan.Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 Dec. 2024
Verb
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In the days and weeks that followed, Alexander came to dread the hours after bedtime, when Daphna, who kept her emotions in check all day for Olivia and Zoë, broke down, sobbing for much of the night like someone in physical pain.Julia Whelan Krish Seenivasan Lance Neal, New York Times, 25 Nov. 2024
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While eldest daughter Wyatt, 5, looked overwhelmed, and youngest daughter Bennett, 21 months, sobbed, middle child Elliotte (aka Ellie), 3, wore a big smile on her face.Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 25 Nov. 2024
Verb
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This mix of bright green, blue, pink, and pink in a chrome finish by celebrity nail artist Britney Tokyo just screams NYE party.Audrey Noble, Vogue, 19 Dec. 2024
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Over nearly 24 hours on July 4, 2022, Santiago heard muffled thuds and screams from the adjacent cell.Christie Thompson, NPR, 18 Dec. 2024
Noun
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In September 2017, the complaint states, Rasekhi arrived unannounced at the patient’s home.Corinne Purtill, Los Angeles Times, 19 Dec. 2024
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The complaint, written by a special agent with the FBI, shed new light on the notebook Mangione was found with when he was arrested in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on Dec. 9.Marlene Lenthang, NBC News, 19 Dec. 2024
Verb
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In one number, Swinton, who goes glossy-eyed to show the cracks in her high-fashion veneer, poses in a transparent rain slicker while bleating raw, yowling noises that blend with the despairing strings.Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 6 Dec. 2024
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Their bleating cry is as much the music of these green mountains as the shrill call of the oystercatchers, the Faroes' noisy national bird.Tim Ecott, Condé Nast Traveler, 3 May 2023
Thesaurus Entries Near whimper
Cite this Entry
“Whimper.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whimper. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
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