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complain

[ kuhm-pleyn ]
/ kəmˈpleÉŖn /
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See synonyms for: complain / complained / complaining / complainer on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object)
to express dissatisfaction, pain, uneasiness, censure, resentment, or grief; find fault: He complained constantly about the noise in the corridor.
to tell of one's pains, ailments, etc.: to complain of a backache.
to make a formal accusation: If you think you've been swindled, complain to the police.
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Origin of complain

1350–1400; Middle English compleinen<Anglo-French compleign-, stem of compleindre,Old French complaindre<Vulgar Latin *complangere, equivalent to Latin com-com- + plangere to lament; see plaint

synonym study for complain

1. 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 WORDS FROM complain

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Ā© Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use complain in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for complain

complain
/ (kəmˈpleÉŖn) /

verb (intr)
to express resentment, displeasure, etc, esp habitually; grumble
(foll by of) to state the presence of pain, illness, etc, esp in the hope of sympathyshe complained of a headache

Derived forms of complain

complainer, nouncomplainingly, adverb

Word Origin for complain

C14: from Old French complaindre, from Vulgar Latin complangere (unattested), from Latin com- (intensive) + plangere to bewail
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition Ā© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 Ā© HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with complain

complain

see can't complain.

The American HeritageĀ® Idioms Dictionary Copyright Ā© 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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