complain
Americanverb (used without object)
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complains,
present (3rd person singular)
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complained,
past participle, past
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complaining
present participle
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to express dissatisfaction, pain, uneasiness, censure, resentment, or grief; find fault.
He complained constantly about the noise in the corridor.
- Antonyms:
- rejoice
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to tell of one's pains, ailments, etc..
to complain of a backache.
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to make a formal accusation.
If you think you've been swindled, complain to the police.
verb
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to express resentment, displeasure, etc, esp habitually; grumble
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(foll by of) to state the presence of pain, illness, etc, esp in the hope of sympathy
she complained of a headache
Synonym Usage
Complain, grumble, growl, whine are terms for expressing dissatisfaction or discomfort. To complain is to protest against or lament a wrong: to complain about high prices. To grumble is to utter ill-natured complaints half to oneself: to grumble about the service. Growl may express more anger than grumble : to growl in reply to a question. To whine is to complain in a meanspirited way, using a nasal tone: to whine like a coward, like a spoiled child.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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complainernoun
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complainableadjective
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uncomplainedadjective
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uncomplainingadjective
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complaininglyadverb
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uncomplaininglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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complainsimple
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complainssimple
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have complainedperfect
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has complainedperfect
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am complainingprogressive
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are complainingprogressive
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is complainingprogressive
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have been complainingperfect progressive
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has been complainingperfect progressive
Past
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complainedsimple
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had complainedperfect
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was complainingprogressive
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were complainingprogressive
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had been complainingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of complain
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English compleinen, from Anglo-French compleign-, stem of compleindre, Old French complaindre, from Vulgar Latin complangere (unrecorded), from Latin com- com- + plangere “to beat, lament, strike”; see plaint
Explanation
To complain is to express your unhappiness about something. You might complain to your landlord about a raise in your rent, or to the cops about your noisy neighbors. Just don't whine; it won't get you anywhere. Speakers of Yiddish will know that complain is often interchangeable with kvetch, which is what you do when you don't like the food or the small portions. But you can complain in a more formal way by, say, writing a letter or even filing a lawsuit. But whether the issue is large or small, do yourself a favor and don't complain too often, or people might stop taking you seriously.
Vocabulary lists containing complain
"The Railway Train" by Emily Dickinson
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Shiloh
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Sarah, Plain and Tall
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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:
Some ticket holders took to social media to complain about the disruption.
From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026
In his third term he has overseen a drop in inflation and unemployment, but voters complain about a high cost of living and are fed up with crime.
From Barron's ● Oct. 4, 2026
Air flows so efficiently over his body that rivals complain that riding behind him offers almost no protection from drag.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026
That Palace statement, questioning Earl Spencer's account of the days after his sister's death, was a total contrast to its normal "never explain, never complain" mantra.
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026
The tamarinds aren't very filling, but I don't complain.
From "Born Behind Bars" by Padma Venkatraman
She is in her late 70s and complains of nagging aches and pains, neuropathy, fatigue, anxiety, and occasional changes in her weight.
From Slate ● Sep. 9, 2026
When he leaves, Margerison angrily describes her in his video commentary as "condescending" and complains that "they don't understand".
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
The agreement comes as Panama complains its boats are suffering tighter controls in China, following the cancellation of a Hong Kong company's concession to operate two ports in the Panama Canal.
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
Someone complains about the line, the weather, our politics or the UPS driver who goes to the front of the queue.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
Joon complains all morning about missing stuff with his friends, but he’s ready when Uncle Tim comes by to pick us up for work.
From "A Step from Heaven" by An Na
Stars like CM Punk and Ray Fenix have complained loudly about the way the promotion handles wrestler health.
From Salon ● Oct. 2, 2026
In recent years, homeowners, developers and businesses have complained that navigating the Planning Department can be complicating and confusing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
Teams have consistently complained that buses do not come and leave when they should, or do not turn up at all.
From Barron's ● Sep. 29, 2026
Foreign financial firms have long complained that regulatory barriers, licensing requirements and concerns over exit bans make it difficult to expand in China, even when market access is technically allowed.
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026
She never complained about the shots and almost constant pain.
From "Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes" by Eleanor Coerr
But it came with issues, with some teams complaining the units were too cramped and the beds too short.
From Barron's ● Oct. 4, 2026
In one instance, the report says, the two commissioners even wrote a letter complaining to the chief secretary, the top bureaucrat in the Indian government.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
There was also a lot of complaining about his compensation, that it was inadequate relative to others in the industry.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
“He keeps complaining about these health concerns and the facility doesn’t care.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
She had been complaining about being dehydrated for at least an hour and human life meant the possibility of water.
From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall
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.
