whine
Americanverb (used without object)
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whines,
present (3rd person singular)
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whined,
past participle, past
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whining
present participle
verb (used with object)
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whines,
present (3rd person singular)
-
whined,
past participle, past
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whining
present participle
noun
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whines
plural
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a whining utterance, sound, or tone.
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a feeble, peevish complaint.
noun
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a long high-pitched plaintive cry or moan
-
a continuous high-pitched sound
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a peevish complaint, esp one repeated
verb
Synonym Usage
See complain.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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whinesimple
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whinessimple
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have whinedperfect
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has whinedperfect
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am whiningprogressive
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are whiningprogressive
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is whiningprogressive
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have been whiningperfect progressive
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has been whiningperfect progressive
Past
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whinedsimple
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had whinedperfect
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was whiningprogressive
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were whiningprogressive
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had been whiningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of whine
First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English verb whinen “to groan in pain or distress; make animal sounds, whimper, whinny, squeal,” Old English hwīnan (of an arrow) “to whiz, buzz, hum”; cognate with Old Norse hvīna, of imitative origin
Explanation
When you whine, you complain in a pitiful, annoying way. Your younger sister will whine if your piece of cake is bigger than hers. Whine is both a noun and a verb. The verb means "to complain bitterly." Kids tend to cry or even yell when they whine, though most adults settle for constant griping and an unwillingness to let it go already. "Poor me" and "It isn't fair" — these are common whines. Whine can describe a high-pitched, screeching noise, like the squeak made by an old, broken machine.
Vocabulary lists containing whine
Instead of "Said": Words For Sad Speech
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"Macbeth" Vocabulary from Act IV
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Because of Winn-Dixie
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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:
What I’m saying is, do not whine to Kathy Griffin about cancel culture.
From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2026
Some say they sound like a jet plane about to take off, others complain of a high-pitched whine.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
People can whine all they want, but math doesn’t lie.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 4, 2026
In Northern Virginia, residents near data centers have complained of a constant high-pitched whine from cooling and backup equipment, serious enough to drive people indoors.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 26, 2026
“You boys got me between a stone and a hard place,” Palmer said, his voice a whine.
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
Mr. Bond also explores how researchers are able to interpret the “language” of certain animals, notably the different barks and whines of dogs and the songs and calls of birds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
No one whines about having to clean the bathroom or having a night shift.
From Slate ● Sep. 29, 2025
He's such a sore loser that even when he wins, he whines that he was cheated out of winning even bigger.
From Salon ● Apr. 15, 2024
After all, we get some really classic lines from the future emperor: One, where he cranes toward a British naval officer and whines, “You think you’re so great because you have boats!”
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 19, 2024
Outside, Roman laughs again and the swing set whines with the weight of him.
From "Brown Girl Dreaming" by Jacqueline Woodson
After that experience, she whined about how the contest was rigged.
From Slate ● Oct. 11, 2025
This would be the ruin of the NBA, or so the critics whined.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 17, 2025
“But I just want you to try,” I whined.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2024
According to NBC News, he whined "no one is defending me" and pouted over the fact that there wasn't a big crowd of protesters outside.
From Salon ● May 10, 2024
He fussed and whined, never full-on crying, but never settling down either.
From "Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World" by Ashley Herring Blake
Some derided these savers for whining about good fortune: “My steak is too juicy and my lobster is too buttery.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
Sometimes he portrays her as a shrew, whining last year about how he’d be “in trouble” if he forgot to mention their anniversary during a speech.
From Salon ● Sep. 4, 2026
The epic whining heard across MLB over the Tarik Skubal acquisition is evidence Andrew Friedman and Dodgers management are a masterclass in demonstrating creative leadership to cultivate a winning ballclub.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2026
Upstairs, children pore over schoolbooks, mothers prepare lunch and television sets flicker in cramped living rooms, all against the constant background noise of shredders whining and baling presses pounding below.
From Barron's ● Jul. 18, 2026
Then I turned around and left them there, whining and fighting again.
From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall
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.
