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
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
whinesimple
-
whinessimple
-
have whinedperfect
-
has whinedperfect
-
am whiningprogressive
-
are whiningprogressive
-
is whiningprogressive
-
have been whiningperfect progressive
-
has been whiningperfect progressive
Past
-
whinedsimple
-
had whinedperfect
-
was whiningprogressive
-
were whiningprogressive
-
had been whiningperfect progressive
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
"It was the first time that I had seen him with someone else and that's weird too," Kramer said on Monday's episode of her podcast "Whine Down" podcast.
From Fox News • Aug. 30, 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The Evil Empire may have been replaced by Fine Whine.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.
