gripe

[ grahyp ]

/ graɪp /

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See synonyms for: gripe / griping / griper on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object), griped, grip·ing.

Informal. to complain naggingly or constantly; grumble.

to suffer pain in the bowels.

Nautical. (of a sailing vessel) to tend to come into the wind; to be ardent.

verb (used with object), griped, grip·ing.

Informal. to annoy or irritate: His tone of voice gripes me.

to produce pain in (the bowels) as if by constriction.

to distress, afflict, or oppress: poverty that gripes and pinches us.

Nautical. to secure (a lifeboat) to a deck or against a pudding boom on davits.

Archaic.

to seize and hold firmly with the hand, claws, etc.; grasp; clutch.
to greedily take possession of and hold tightly:The miser gripes his money for fear of losing it.

noun

Informal. a nagging complaint.

Usually gripes. Pathology. an intermittent spasmodic pain in the bowels.

something that grips or clutches; a claw or grip.

Nautical.

a lashing or chain by which a boat is secured to a deck or in position on davits.
Also called gripe piece . a curved timber connecting the stem or cutwater of a wooden hull with the keel.
the exterior angle or curve formed by this piece; forefoot.
the forward end of the dished keel of a metal hull.

Archaic.

the act of gripping, grasping, or clutching.
a firm hold; clutch.
mastery; hold; control.

Rare. a handle, hilt, etc.

OTHER WORDS FOR gripe

1 whine, mutter, carp, rail, bellyache.

See synonyms for gripe on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of gripe

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English gripen, Old English grīpan; cognate with Dutch grijpen, German griefen; see grip, grope

OTHER WORDS FROM gripe

griper, noungripeful, adjectivegrip·ing·ly, adverb

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH gripe

grip, gripe , grippe

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

How to use gripe in a sentence

Amid the gripes about the pandemic and the election, Barnett posted to his Facebook page a video of people arriving for Wednesday’s rally.
Man who posed at Pelosi desk said in Facebook post that he is prepared for violent death|Jon Swaine|January 7, 2021|Washington Post
It’s a small gripe that grows into a larger one the more you buy into Google’s ecosystem and attempt to rely on its AI.
Google's Slick Pixel Buds Finally Give Android Users the AirPods They Deserve|Patrick Lucas Austin|May 6, 2020|Time
We griped and laughed and swore and made fun of one another and ourselves.
I Reenlisted to Return to Afghanistan, Only to Find Myself in Kuwait|Jonathan Raab|April 22, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Woe is me, the twenty thousand pounds were griped—the precious life of Mr Allcraft was insured—the London house was satisfied.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXXIX. January, 1844. Vol. LV.|Various

A poor young man had been seized by the same talons which subsequently griped Sims in their poison, deadly clutch.
The Trial of Theodore Parker|Theodore Parker
He continued to gaze upon the speaker, till his eye dropped on the hand that yet griped his arm.
Night and Morning, Complete|Edward Bulwer-Lytton
In the midst of this torrent of general ridicule, the Highlander instinctively griped beneath the folds of his plaid.
The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction.|Various
Meanwhile Squills griped my father's pulse, and my mother hung on his neck.
The Caxtons, Complete|Edward Bulwer-Lytton

British Dictionary definitions for gripe

gripe

/ (ɡraɪp) /

verb

(intr) informal to complain, esp in a persistent nagging manner

to cause sudden intense pain in the intestines of (a person) or (of a person) to experience this pain

(intr) nautical (of a ship) to tend to come up into the wind in spite of the helm

archaic to clutch; grasp

(tr) archaic to afflict

noun

(usually plural) a sudden intense pain in the intestines; colic

informal a complaint or grievance

rare

the act of gripping
a firm grip
a device that grips

(in plural) nautical the lashings that secure a boat

Derived forms of gripe

griper, noungripingly, adverb

Word Origin for gripe

Old English grīpan; related to Gothic greipan, Old High German grīfan to seize, Lithuanian greibiu

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

gripe

OTHER WORDS FOR gripe

Origin of gripe

OTHER WORDS FROM gripe

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH gripe

Words related to gripe

How to use gripe in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for gripe

Derived forms of gripe

Word Origin for gripe