whimper
Americanverb (used without object)
-
whimpers,
present (3rd person singular)
-
whimpered,
past participle, past
-
whimpering
present participle
verb (used with object)
-
whimpers,
present (3rd person singular)
-
whimpered,
past participle, past
-
whimpering
present participle
noun
-
whimpers
plural
verb
-
(intr) to cry, sob, or whine softly or intermittently
-
to complain or say (something) in a whining plaintive way
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
whimpersimple
-
whimperssimple
-
have whimperedperfect
-
has whimperedperfect
-
am whimperingprogressive
-
are whimperingprogressive
-
is whimperingprogressive
-
have been whimperingperfect progressive
-
has been whimperingperfect progressive
Past
-
whimperedsimple
-
had whimperedperfect
-
was whimperingprogressive
-
were whimperingprogressive
-
had been whimperingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of whimper
1505–15; obsolete whimp to whine + -er 6
Explanation
To whimper is to make a low, pitiful whining sound. If you've ever heard a sick puppy cry, you know what it means to whimper. Use the verb whimper to describe the crying you do when you're frightened or in pain. A child with a fever might whimper, or a woman with a terrible migraine headache. It can also be a noun, although in that case the word takes on a bit of a whiny meaning: "The boy gave a whimper when he realized he was only getting one cookie." Whimper is onomatopoeic, or a word that sounds just like what it means.
Vocabulary lists containing whimper
Instead of "Said": Words For Sad Speech
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"My Favorite Chaperone," Vocabulary from the short story
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Similes from Top AP English Exam Novels
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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:
A volatile week that battered Wall Street with relentless headlines ended with a whimper.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
And yet the victory comes with more of a whimper, given expectations heading into the night.
From Slate ● Aug. 5, 2026
The strange legal saga that torpedoed Jeff Shell’s career at Paramount Skydance has ended with a whimper.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 11, 2026
We’ll all find out together if that’s a bang or a whimper.
From Barron's ● Jun. 1, 2026
When he was a baby, she had looked at his wine stain and listened to him whimper in his sleep, and she’d thought he was the strangest and most beautiful baby in the world.
From "A Place to Belong" by Cynthia Kadohata
Earlier this month, a Gardena police officer responded to a report that there were whimpers and cries coming from a self-compacting trash can outside a local church.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 31, 2025
So his team gathered the barks, growls and whimpers of 74 dogs of varying breeds, ages and sexes, in a variety of contexts.
From BBC ● Jun. 6, 2024
It takes courage to open a new play in the West End without a previous run somewhere else, but “Lyonesse” whimpers where it should roar.
From New York Times ● Oct. 26, 2023
These included grunts, whimpers, laughter, screams, hoos, barks, squeaks, and pant hoots.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 17, 2023
The girl choked back whimpers of pain, but she never complained.
From "Time Bomb" by Joelle Charbonneau
“When it comes to the actual re-establishment of the business, Sound Transit provides next to nothing,” he said, as babies whimpered behind his office wall at naptime.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 12, 2023
All through 2020, as coronavirus case numbers soared and hopes plummeted, I watched and whimpered as one monumental Beethoven tribute after another crumbled.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 23, 2020
“We’re off to see the wizard,” Buckley cooed, as the baby whimpered.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 3, 2019
Was it sarcasm I heard in his whimpered response?
From Salon ● Feb. 16, 2019
“It must have been Fiendfyre!” whimpered Hermione, her eyes on the broken pieces.
From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling
While receiving the two doses, "she could be heard crying, whimpering, and breathing loudly throughout the procedure", her lawyers said.
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026
“I think if the dog came out alive, one of them has to be alive as well,” Fajardo said, as Yogi sat next to her whimpering.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026
She was crying quietly while we talked, one of those whimpering meltdowns that kids have without actually screaming.
From Slate ● Nov. 5, 2025
The host stresses to a whimpering Jenn that in that scene she showed America "what a strong and powerful woman is."
From Salon ● Sep. 4, 2024
And here all of them were whimpering and cowering, spooked by one doe.
From "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
