gripe

[ grahyp ]
See synonyms for: gripegripinggriper on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object),griped, grip·ing.
  1. Informal. to complain naggingly or constantly; grumble.

  2. to suffer pain in the bowels.

  1. Nautical. (of a sailing vessel) to tend to come into the wind; to be ardent.

verb (used with object),griped, grip·ing.
  1. Informal. to annoy or irritate: His tone of voice gripes me.

  2. to produce pain in (the bowels) as if by constriction.

  1. to distress, afflict, or oppress: poverty that gripes and pinches us.

  2. Nautical. to secure (a lifeboat) to a deck or against a pudding boom on davits.

  3. Archaic.

    • to seize and hold firmly with the hand, claws, etc.; grasp; clutch.

    • to greedily take possession of and hold tightly:The miser gripes his money for fear of losing it.

noun
  1. Informal. a nagging complaint.

  2. Usually gripes. Pathology. an intermittent spasmodic pain in the bowels.

  1. something that grips or clutches; a claw or grip.

  2. Nautical.

    • a lashing or chain by which a boat is secured to a deck or in position on davits.

    • Also called gripe piece . a curved timber connecting the stem or cutwater of a wooden hull with the keel.

    • the exterior angle or curve formed by this piece; forefoot.

    • the forward end of the dished keel of a metal hull.

  3. Archaic.

    • the act of gripping, grasping, or clutching.

    • a firm hold; clutch.

    • mastery; hold; control.

  4. Rare. a handle, hilt, etc.

Origin of gripe

1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English gripen, Old English grīpan; cognate with Dutch grijpen, German griefen; see grip, grope

Other words for gripe

Other words from gripe

  • griper, noun
  • gripeful, adjective
  • grip·ing·ly, adverb

Words that may be confused with gripe

Words Nearby gripe

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use gripe in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for gripe

gripe

/ (ɡraɪp) /


verb
  1. (intr) informal to complain, esp in a persistent nagging manner

  2. to cause sudden intense pain in the intestines of (a person) or (of a person) to experience this pain

  1. (intr) nautical (of a ship) to tend to come up into the wind in spite of the helm

  2. archaic to clutch; grasp

  3. (tr) archaic to afflict

noun
  1. (usually plural) a sudden intense pain in the intestines; colic

  2. informal a complaint or grievance

  1. rare

    • the act of gripping

    • a firm grip

    • a device that grips

  2. (in plural) nautical the lashings that secure a boat

Origin of gripe

1
Old English grīpan; related to Gothic greipan, Old High German grīfan to seize, Lithuanian greibiu

Derived forms of gripe

  • griper, noun
  • gripingly, adverb

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