complain
Americanverb (used without object)
-
to express dissatisfaction, pain, uneasiness, censure, resentment, or grief; find fault.
He complained constantly about the noise in the corridor.
- Antonyms:
- rejoice
-
to tell of one's pains, ailments, etc..
to complain of a backache.
-
to make a formal accusation.
If you think you've been swindled, complain to the police.
verb
-
to express resentment, displeasure, etc, esp habitually; grumble
-
(foll by of) to state the presence of pain, illness, etc, esp in the hope of sympathy
she complained of a headache
Related Words
Complain, grumble, growl, whine are terms for expressing dissatisfaction or discomfort. To complain is to protest against or lament a wrong: to complain about high prices. To grumble is to utter ill-natured complaints half to oneself: to grumble about the service. Growl may express more anger than grumble : to growl in reply to a question. To whine is to complain in a meanspirited way, using a nasal tone: to whine like a coward, like a spoiled child.
Other Word Forms
- complainable adjective
- complainer noun
- complainingly adverb
- uncomplained adjective
- uncomplaining adjective
- uncomplainingly adverb
Etymology
Origin of complain
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English compleinen, from Anglo-French compleign-, stem of compleindre, Old French complaindre, from Vulgar Latin complangere (unrecorded), from Latin com- com- + plangere “to beat, lament, strike”; plaint
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Always there for him to confide in, complain to and entrust with his continually evolving thoughts on Jewish life and theology, Kaplan called these ledger-size handwritten volumes his “communings of the spirit.”
"Stop being a coward and take Estevao off, it's not fair," rival parents would complain.
From BBC
"What can you do with this good-for-nothing pension? Were it not for my son helping me out I'd be unable to buy my medicine," she complained at the march in the capital, Caracas.
From Barron's
A cherry blossom festival boasting a highly Instagrammable view of Mount Fuji was cancelled this year after residents complained of overtourism.
From Barron's
He says complaining to Royal Mail hasn't made any difference.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
