complaint

American  

[kuhm-playnt] / kəmˈpleɪnt /

noun

• complaints
  plural

1. an expression of discontent, regret, pain, censure, resentment, or grief; lament; faultfinding.

   his complaint about poor schools.

2. a cause of discontent, pain, grief, lamentation, etc.

3. a cause of bodily pain or ailment; malady.

   The doctor says I suffer from a rare complaint.

   Synonyms:

   ailment, illness, sickness

4. Law. the first pleading of the plaintiff in a civil action, stating the cause of action.

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complaint British  

/ kəmˈpleɪnt /

noun

1. the act of complaining; an expression of grievance

2. a cause for complaining; grievance

3. a mild ailment

4. English law a statement by which a civil proceeding in a magistrates' court is commenced

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Usage

What does complaint mean? A complaint is a statement about something you’re unhappy or upset about. It has more specific meanings in legal and medical contexts. Complaint is the noun form of the verb complain. In legal terms, a complaint is the document that officially initiates a legal proceeding. In medicine, it refers to a symptom or cause of pain as reported by a patient. Example: I liked the movie, but my one complaint is that the women in the cast didn’t get enough screen time.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• countercomplaint
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• complaints
  plural

Etymology

Origin of complaint

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English compleynte, from Middle French complainte, from Latin com- com- + plancta plaint

Explanation

A complaint is an objection to something that is unfair, unacceptable, or otherwise not up to normal standards. If your neighbors have a complaint about noise, they want you to be more quiet. A complaint is voiced objection to something, like a complaint about cold or disgusting-tasting food in a restaurant. Complaint is also a legal term — the plaintiff's reasons for bringing a civil action. Medically speaking, a complaint is a disorder or disease that is hard to cure completely. Loud cries of pain, anger, or sadness can also be called complaints.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

complaint complaints

GEO Group, a for-profit prison company, filed a complaint in federal court over Senate Bill 942, also called the Civil Detainees’ Bill of Rights Act of 2026.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026

The biggest complaint was that there weren’t enough to go around.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026

In emails seen by BBC Wales, GWR said it had made changes to "how we manage passenger assist for customers travelling from London Paddington" as a result of Phoebe's complaint.

From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026

As a result, the complaint says, instead of snow in the winter, Boulder gets more “high-intensity, short-duration rainfall events” that overwhelm its drainage systems and cause flooding.

From Slate ● Oct. 5, 2026

“A bilious complaint is caused by bile,” she says, eyes closed, thinking aloud.

From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin

The protests started in late September with students blocking entrances to hundreds of high schools for 15- to 17-year-olds over complaints of dilapidated facilities and teacher shortages.

From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026

Universities hired former prosecutors and victim advocates to handle a growing pile of Title IX complaints once dealt with less formally.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

In August, Khan was briefly transferred from jail to a state-run hospital for medical examination and treatment following complaints about his deteriorating health.

From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026

The stadium also acknowledged it had received complaints about West's performance.

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

A doctor who didn’t understand local culture might mistake patients’ complaints for bizarre superstitions, or be utterly baffled by Haitian logic.

From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French

Related Words

• accusation
• charge
• criticism
• grievance
• gripe
• objection
• protest
• trouble