complain
Americanverb (used without object)
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complains,
present (3rd person singular)
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complained,
past participle, past
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complaining
present participle
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to express dissatisfaction, pain, uneasiness, censure, resentment, or grief; find fault.
He complained constantly about the noise in the corridor.
- Antonyms:
- rejoice
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to tell of one's pains, ailments, etc..
to complain of a backache.
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to make a formal accusation.
If you think you've been swindled, complain to the police.
verb
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to express resentment, displeasure, etc, esp habitually; grumble
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(foll by of) to state the presence of pain, illness, etc, esp in the hope of sympathy
she complained of a headache
Synonym Usage
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
Derived Forms
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complainernoun
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complainableadjective
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uncomplainedadjective
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uncomplainingadjective
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complaininglyadverb
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uncomplaininglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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complainsimple
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complainssimple
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have complainedperfect
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has complainedperfect
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am complainingprogressive
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are complainingprogressive
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is complainingprogressive
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have been complainingperfect progressive
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has been complainingperfect progressive
Past
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complainedsimple
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had complainedperfect
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was complainingprogressive
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were complainingprogressive
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had been complainingperfect progressive
Future
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”; see plaint
Explanation
To complain is to express your unhappiness about something. You might complain to your landlord about a raise in your rent, or to the cops about your noisy neighbors. Just don't whine; it won't get you anywhere. Speakers of Yiddish will know that complain is often interchangeable with kvetch, which is what you do when you don't like the food or the small portions. But you can complain in a more formal way by, say, writing a letter or even filing a lawsuit. But whether the issue is large or small, do yourself a favor and don't complain too often, or people might stop taking you seriously.
Vocabulary lists containing complain
"The Railway Train" by Emily Dickinson
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Shiloh
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Sarah, Plain and Tall
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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.
See Examples For:
When the first trailer appeared online, many users swamped comment sections to complain about what they'd seen.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
The FBI reports that over 1 million Americans contacted the bureau last year to complain that they’d been targeted by online scams of one type or another.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026
The key is to press your case and cite DOT rules, not simply complain and say you’re never flying the airline again.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
Uber passengers complain about an overload of air fresheners during their rides, but drivers say it beats the smells coming from the back seat.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
“First time I ever heard a boy complain about that! We’ll see what we can do!”
From "Carry On, Mr. Bowditch" by Jean Lee Latham
“I had a whole career of reveille,” the man complains.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
She is in her late 70s and complains of nagging aches and pains, neuropathy, fatigue, anxiety, and occasional changes in her weight.
From Slate ● Sep. 9, 2026
The agreement comes as Panama complains its boats are suffering tighter controls in China, following the cancellation of a Hong Kong company's concession to operate two ports in the Panama Canal.
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
When Joe complains and threatens to bring up the noise, Angela all but begs him to put on a smile and let it go, just for this one night.
From Salon ● Jul. 5, 2026
He complains, but not as much as usual.
From "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins
The actual candy, plaintiffs Nathan Vidal and Eduardo Granados complained, arrived without the promised eyes and mouth.
From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2026
One businessman complained it was increasingly difficult to bring in automotive spare parts from the Asian powerhouse.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
Residents have long complained about a proliferation of high-powered cars racing down the city’s major thoroughfares, peeling out and doing doughnuts, and drivers revving their engines into the early-morning hours.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026
Officials briefly looked at an incident with two laps to go when he cut a chicane while fighting to stay ahead of Norris, who complained Verstappen should give the place up.
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026
“I still don’t see why we had to leave so early,” Joe complained.
From "Mystery Map (The Hardy Boys: Secret Files, #3)" by Franklin W. Dixon
But across San Ángel, anger was palpable, with many complaining about the government’s inaction.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2026
Clancy's lawyer, Kevin Reddington, said in court that the jury forewoman had sent another note, this one complaining to Judge William Sullivan that a juror was refusing to listen to the law on reasonable doubt.
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026
Not that I’m complaining about our year-round release carousel — I mean, look over your shoulder at this summertime’s TV bounty.
From Salon ● Sep. 4, 2026
Even the National Trust appeared to nod to this construction reality, complaining in its own brief to the court that the administration was “trying to outrun judicial review” by speeding construction.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
Yesterday, when I was complaining about it to Dad, I thought he was going to say the same thing as Sitti and Mom—the whole “don’t worry” bit—but he didn’t.
From "A Rover's Story" by Jasmine Warga
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.
