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definitions

whimper

[ hwim-per, wim- ]
/ ˈʰwɪm pər, ˈwɪm- /
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verb (used without object)

to cry with low, plaintive, broken sounds.

verb (used with object)

to utter in a whimper.

noun

a whimpering cry or sound.

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RELATED WORDS

moan, weep, bleat, sob, fuss, pule, object, whine, snivel, blubber, complain, mewl

Nearby words

  1. whilom,
  2. whilst,
  3. whim,
  4. whim-wham,
  5. whimbrel,
  6. whimsey,
  7. whimsical,
  8. whimsicality,
  9. whimsically,
  10. whimsy

Origin of whimper

1505–15; obsolete whimp to whine + -er6
Related formswhim·per·er, nounwhim·per·ing·ly, adverbun·whim·per·ing, adjectiveun·whim·per·ing·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for whimpered

British Dictionary definitions for whimpered

whimper

/ (ˈwɪmpə) /

verb

(intr) to cry, sob, or whine softly or intermittently
to complain or say (something) in a whining plaintive way

noun

a soft plaintive whine
Derived Formswhimperer, nounwhimpering, nounwhimperingly, adverb

Word Origin for whimper

C16: from dialect whimp, of imitative origin
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
Word Origin and History for whimpered

whimper

v.

1510s, probably of imitative origin, or from German wimmern "to whimper, moan." The noun is first recorded c.1700. Related: Whimpered; whimpering.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper