whimper
Americanverb (used without object)
-
whimpers,
present (3rd person singular)
-
whimpered,
past participle, past
-
whimpering
present participle
verb (used with object)
-
whimpers,
present (3rd person singular)
-
whimpered,
past participle, past
-
whimpering
present participle
noun
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whimpers
plural
verb
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(intr) to cry, sob, or whine softly or intermittently
-
to complain or say (something) in a whining plaintive way
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
whimpersimple
-
whimperssimple
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have whimperedperfect
-
has whimperedperfect
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am whimperingprogressive
-
are whimperingprogressive
-
is whimperingprogressive
-
have been whimperingperfect progressive
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has been whimperingperfect progressive
Past
-
whimperedsimple
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had whimperedperfect
-
was whimperingprogressive
-
were whimperingprogressive
-
had been whimperingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of whimper
1505–15; obsolete whimp to whine + -er 6
Explanation
To whimper is to make a low, pitiful whining sound. If you've ever heard a sick puppy cry, you know what it means to whimper. Use the verb whimper to describe the crying you do when you're frightened or in pain. A child with a fever might whimper, or a woman with a terrible migraine headache. It can also be a noun, although in that case the word takes on a bit of a whiny meaning: "The boy gave a whimper when he realized he was only getting one cookie." Whimper is onomatopoeic, or a word that sounds just like what it means.
Vocabulary lists containing whimper
Instead of "Said": Words For Sad Speech
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"My Favorite Chaperone," Vocabulary from the short story
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Similes from Top AP English Exam Novels
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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:
And yet the victory comes with more of a whimper, given expectations heading into the night.
From Slate ● Aug. 5, 2026
But his side are on the brink of heading home at the first hurdle, in a similar fashion to their previous two finals appearances - with a whimper and without playing a historic knockout tie.
From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2026
Alas, Krypto the pup is sidelined early on with a whimper, both from him and us.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 24, 2026
Things end with a whimper, not a bang, T.S.
From Barron's ● Jun. 1, 2026
When he smelt Tall Tailless among the willows, he began to whimper too.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
These included grunts, whimpers, laughter, screams, hoos, barks, squeaks, and pant hoots.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 17, 2023
The cries of mammalian infants, for example, can be incredibly similar, to the point that white-tailed deer will respond to whimpers whether they're made by marmots, humans or seals.
From Scientific American ● Sep. 22, 2023
The dog’s whimpers could be heard on the video.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 1, 2023
At night the town whimpers to life with a couple of takeaway pizza places and cafés where Tunisian and Senegalese migrants sit outside smoking cigarettes and drinking coffee.
From BBC ● Nov. 11, 2022
“I want to go back to my mom,” Teddy whimpers, and I sigh.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
“When it comes to the actual re-establishment of the business, Sound Transit provides next to nothing,” he said, as babies whimpered behind his office wall at naptime.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 12, 2023
Yet because he never whimpered or complained, few outside the program even knew what he had to endure.
From Washington Times ● Sep. 17, 2023
Given that Cleveland whimpered to a 3-8 finish and the Milwaukee Bucks would have been Brooklyn’s first-round opponent if they hadn’t lost Sunday, the Nets should be thanking their lucky stars.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 11, 2022
Was it sarcasm I heard in his whimpered response?
From Salon ● Feb. 16, 2019
Bruno whimpered and stepped farther away from me.
From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff
“I think if the dog came out alive, one of them has to be alive as well,” Fajardo said, as Yogi sat next to her whimpering.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026
She was crying quietly while we talked, one of those whimpering meltdowns that kids have without actually screaming.
From Slate ● Nov. 5, 2025
The host stresses to a whimpering Jenn that in that scene she showed America "what a strong and powerful woman is."
From Salon ● Sep. 4, 2024
Kevin Little, a Fresno attorney who has watched the case closely, said the agreement “likely marks a whimpering end to what started as a major case.”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 28, 2024
But listening to the whimpering near her ear, and feeling her brother’s warm breath on her cheek, mostly, mostly, she just wanted to outlive Akira, so he would never be alone.
From "A Place to Belong" by Cynthia Kadohata
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
