complain
Americanverb (used without object)
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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:
Authorities later covered the foundation of the 2019 statue with a plastic sheet, the resident said, adding: "No one has dared to complain."
From Barron's ● Jul. 18, 2026
Union officials complain few workers can afford to stop working during the hottest hours.
From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026
“As long as we win the World Cup,” Yamal said ahead of his clash with France, “I think no one here will complain about me not scoring goals.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
County Supervisor Hilda Solis have tried to cut through jurisdictional red tape, many residents complain that they’ll ask one office for help, only to be directed to another.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
“Too bad Mama won’t help us,” I complain.
From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan
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
Ashok Kumar, the Civil Surgeon of Begusarai, however, told the BBC that the woman was brought in with complains of stomach pain.
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 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
“I have no idea. I can’t read it. But a lot of her jobs are junky self-help books that she complains about. She’s more of a science fiction fan.”
From "Goodbye Stranger" by Rebecca Stead
Immediately, I thought of how many of my peers complained that her assignments were too difficult, and her film choices were too unconventional to analyze easily, even for college-level writers.
From Salon ● Jul. 24, 2026
Math in particular has been a flash point at UC, where professors who have complained about declining student math skills say screening applicants with SAT scores could help bring in better-prepared first-year students.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
Teams have previously complained that Caballero will briefly glance at the pitcher before looking down again.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
But other High Street businesses complained they would miss out on the support and called for the package to be extended.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
“You hurt me,” she complained, rubbing her arm where it had scraped the side of the wagon.
From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall
Reports of suspected cyclospora cases in the Midwest began circulating earlier in July, with a growing number of consumers in Michigan, Ohio and other nearby states complaining of cramping, nausea and watery diarrhea.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
“Here I am complaining about the robots, but I’m not doing the human part of it as much as I need to be,” she said.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 2026
But given the number of people complaining about the show’s pokey plotting, it was fair to wonder if “The Bear” would again make the cut for Season 4.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
Hundreds of fans have been complaining online, while one report suggested thousands have had their tickets cancelled.
From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026
After darkness fell, she couldn’t hear them snorting and complaining to one another.
From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer
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.
