gripe

[ grahyp ]

verb (used without object)

, griped, grip·ing.

1. Informal. to complain naggingly or constantly; grumble.

   Synonyms: bellyache, rail, carp, mutter, whine

2. to suffer pain in the bowels.
3. 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.
3. to distress, afflict, or oppress:

   poverty that gripes and pinches us.

4. Nautical. to secure (a lifeboat) to a deck or against a pudding boom on davits.
5. Archaic.
   1. to seize and hold firmly with the hand, claws, etc.; grasp; clutch.
   2. 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.
3. something that grips or clutches; a claw or grip.
4. Nautical.
   1. a lashing or chain by which a boat is secured to a deck or in position on davits.
   2. Also called gripe piece. a curved timber connecting the stem or cutwater of a wooden hull with the keel.
   3. the exterior angle or curve formed by this piece; forefoot.
   4. the forward end of the dished keel of a metal hull.
5. Archaic.
   1. the act of gripping, grasping, or clutching.
   2. a firm hold; clutch.
   3. mastery; hold; control.
6. Rare. a handle, hilt, etc.

gripe

/ ɡraɪp /

verb

1. informal.
   intr 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
3. intr nautical (of a ship) to tend to come up into the wind in spite of the helm
4. archaic.
   to clutch; grasp
5. archaic.
   tr to afflict

noun

1. usually plural a sudden intense pain in the intestines; colic
2. informal.
   a complaint or grievance
3. rare.
   1. the act of gripping
   2. a firm grip
   3. a device that grips
4. in plural nautical the lashings that secure a boat

Derived Forms

• ˈgriper, noun
• ˈgripingly, adverb

Other Words From

• grip·er noun
• gripe·ful adjective
• grip·ing·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of gripe¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of gripe¹

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

Example Sentences

It would be ludicrous to gripe about Louis-Dreyfus winning again for her work in Veep.

From The Daily Beast

My big gripe with the old TV shows was their reliance on predictable formulas.

From The Daily Beast

Later, another senior NCO chased me down the hall to gripe about how my pants met my boots.

From The Daily Beast

Well, I have a gripe with the pope, was a bit disgusted, and was struck by his radical views.

From The Daily Beast

The gripe is much older than the bloggers and tweeters who are its latest targets.

From The Daily Beast

Peer Khan uttered the fatal words, and Ghuffoor Khan wrestled out his last agony under my never-failing gripe.

From Project Gutenberg

The pincers gripe, the pliers handle; the one is like the closed hand, the other like the fingers.

From Project Gutenberg

It was safe enough for a high-ranking labman to gripe about Security—in fact, it was more or less expected.

From Project Gutenberg

What has posterity done for us / That we, lest they their rights should lose, / Should trust our necks to gripe of noose?

From Project Gutenberg

It is weaker than Barbadoes or even hepatic aloes, and is more apt to gripe, &c., than the latter.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• carp
• grumble
• moan
• murmur
• mutter
• nag
• squawk