whine
Americanverb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
noun
-
a whining utterance, sound, or tone.
-
a feeble, peevish complaint.
noun
-
a long high-pitched plaintive cry or moan
-
a continuous high-pitched sound
-
a peevish complaint, esp one repeated
verb
Synonym Usage
See complain.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
have whinedperfect
-
has whinedperfect 3rd person singular
-
is whiningprogressive 3rd person singular
-
whiningparticiple
-
are whiningprogressive
-
has been whiningperfect progressive 3rd person singular
-
have been whiningperfect progressive
-
am whiningprogressive 1st person singular
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whinessingular 3rd person
Past
-
had whinedperfect
-
were whiningprogressive plural
-
had been whiningperfect progressive
-
was whiningprogressive singular
-
whinedparticiple
-
whinedsimple
Future
Etymology
Origin of whine
First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English verb whinen “to groan in pain or distress; make animal sounds, whimper, whinny, squeal,” Old English hwīnan (of an arrow) “to whiz, buzz, hum”; cognate with Old Norse hvīna, of imitative origin
Explanation
When you whine, you complain in a pitiful, annoying way. Your younger sister will whine if your piece of cake is bigger than hers. Whine is both a noun and a verb. The verb means "to complain bitterly." Kids tend to cry or even yell when they whine, though most adults settle for constant griping and an unwillingness to let it go already. "Poor me" and "It isn't fair" — these are common whines. Whine can describe a high-pitched, screeching noise, like the squeak made by an old, broken machine.
Vocabulary lists containing whine
Instead of "Said": Words For Sad Speech
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"Macbeth" Vocabulary from Act IV
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Because of Winn-Dixie
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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.
Whine all you want, dudes on the internet, but there's no changing facts.
From Salon • Dec. 8, 2023
Colón of Miami, Florida, originally posted the video to her Pairs Well with Whine account on Aug. 22, and it has gone on to reach more than 10.8 million viewers on the video-sharing app.
From Fox News • Sep. 22, 2021
She and her co-founder Odunayo Eweniyi — the same duo behind the Feminist Coalition — made sure that Wine and Whine also wore its feminism as a badge of honor.
From New York Times • Mar. 12, 2021
The Evil Empire may have been replaced by Fine Whine.
From Washington Post • Oct. 13, 2011
Whine, complain, sulk, scream, and carry on, but never cry.
From "The Dead and the Gone" by Susan Beth Pfeffer
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.
