whimper

[ hwim-per, wim- ]
See synonyms for: whimperwhimperedwhimpering on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object)
  1. to cry with low, plaintive, broken sounds.

verb (used with object)
  1. to utter in a whimper.

noun
  1. a whimpering cry or sound.

Origin of whimper

1
1505–15; obsolete whimp to whine + -er6

Other words for whimper

Other words from whimper

  • whim·per·er, noun
  • whim·per·ing·ly, adverb
  • un·whim·per·ing, adjective
  • un·whim·per·ing·ly, adverb

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

How to use whimper in a sentence

  • The tears ran down her cheeks and she whimpered like a child.

    That Lass O' Lowrie's | Frances Hodgson Burnett
  • "I—ha'—I ha' seed a ghost, or—summat," she panted and whimpered.

    That Lass O' Lowrie's | Frances Hodgson Burnett

British Dictionary definitions for whimper

whimper

/ (ˈwɪmpə) /


verb
  1. (intr) to cry, sob, or whine softly or intermittently

  2. to complain or say (something) in a whining plaintive way

noun
  1. a soft plaintive whine

Origin of whimper

1
C16: from dialect whimp, of imitative origin

Derived forms of whimper

  • whimperer, noun
  • whimpering, noun
  • whimperingly, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012