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:
“The Philippines has nothing to complain about,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
Should they complain to the White House press secretary?
From Slate ● Aug. 18, 2026
But how do you deal with co-workers who constantly complain about relatively minor things and manage to make every meeting miserable?
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026
But many complain that living costs remain high.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
It was warm and comforting, even in the heat of the kitchen, and when Mama placed leftover biscuits on the table, we didn’t complain about not having fresh ones as we usually did.
From "Root Magic" by Eden Royce
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
When Joe complains and threatens to bring up the noise, Angela all but begs him to put on a smile and let it go, just for this one night.
From Salon ● Jul. 5, 2026
As resuscitation efforts continue, Digwa complains about the flashing emergency vehicle lights, asking the male officer questioning him to "turn the flashes off".
From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2026
“Anybody that complains about teachers getting a $50,000 check, they just instantly lose all credibility with me,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
But then at school, I’m the total opposite and Mrs. Brown complains that I need to speak up more.
From "Before We Were Free" by Julia Alvarez
After she complained on social media, Blue Apron gave her a refund, she said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
Pakistan's Supreme Court ordered authorities on Tuesday to move jailed former prime minister Imran Khan to hospital for medical checks, after the popular politician's lawyers complained about his poor health.
From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026
Some clients complained that even if Microsoft reached out, the messages rarely made sense.
From Slate ● Aug. 18, 2026
The central London vigil was organised by the group Stand Up to Racism, and several speakers paying tribute to Arday complained about his treatment by the media.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
She never complained about the shots and almost constant pain.
From "Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes" by Eleanor Coerr
But the phenomenon of men complaining more while doing less is not new.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 19, 2026
Stephen A. Smith added more fuel to the firestorm centered on his clash with a Black journalist organization critical of his comments about Black female politicians by complaining to Fox News about the group.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
They have been holding public meetings, complaining on social media, and threatening legal action.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
The president then turned his attention to Washington’s federal parks, complaining about patches of dead grass and offering advice about how they should be maintained.
From Salon ● Aug. 9, 2026
Soon after Elizebeth did her first radio interview, the Navy started complaining to the Coast Guard about “undesirable publicity.”
From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield
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.
