whine

American  

[hwahyn, wahyn] / ʰwaɪn, waɪn /

verb (used without object)

• whines,
  present (3rd person singular)
• whined,
  past participle,  past
• whining
  present participle

1. to utter a low, usually nasal, complaining cry or sound, as from uneasiness, discontent, peevishness, etc..

   The puppies were whining from hunger.

   Synonyms:

   whimper, moan

2. to snivel or complain in a peevish, self-pitying way.

   He is always whining about his problems.

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verb (used with object)

• whines,
  present (3rd person singular)
• whined,
  past participle,  past
• whining
  present participle

1. to utter with or as if with a whine.

   I whined my litany of complaints.

noun

• whines
  plural

1. a whining utterance, sound, or tone.

2. a feeble, peevish complaint.

whine British  

/ waɪn /

noun

1. a long high-pitched plaintive cry or moan

2. a continuous high-pitched sound

3. a peevish complaint, esp one repeated

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verb

1. to make a whine or utter in a whine

Synonym Usage

See complain.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• whiner
  noun
• whining
  adjective
• whiningly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• whines
  plural

Participles

• whining
  present
• whined
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• whine
  simple
• whines
  simple
• have whined
  perfect
• has whined
  perfect
• am whining
  progressive
• are whining
  progressive
• is whining
  progressive
• have been whining
  perfect progressive
• has been whining
  perfect progressive

Past

• whined
  simple
• had whined
  perfect
• was whining
  progressive
• were whining
  progressive
• had been whining
  perfect progressive

Future

• will whine
  simple
• will have whined
  perfect
• will be whining
  progressive
• will have been whining
  perfect progressive

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

whine whines whined whining

People can whine all they want, but math doesn’t lie.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 4, 2026

“The Sheep Detectives” introduces this talent lightheartedly, with Lily suggesting they forget some minor unpleasantness, counting to three, and pausing as a high-pitched whine slices the air.

From Salon ● May 17, 2026

Their opponents always whine about that, and Reaves even stayed on the court after Thursday’s final buzzer to vent to the referees about that, but just … don’t.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 8, 2026

Up has gone a mighty whine from actors, directors and other Hollywood traditionalists against the disruptive streamer walking off with HBO, a time-honored studio and storytelling brands like Superman, Harry Potter and Game of Thrones.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 17, 2026

Orion snuggled close to his jackalope friend and let out a sympathetic whine.

From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova

The story is simple: The dad flusters, fidgets and whines; the girl gobbles room service as though aspiring to become human foie gras.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2026

No one whines about having to clean the bathroom or having a night shift.

From Slate ● Sep. 29, 2025

He has to sit still and do what he's told, which he whines about ad nauseum when he's outside of court.

From Salon ● Apr. 23, 2024

All week I’d reveled in the cackles of leaf monkeys, hoots of gibbons, and barks of macaques, plus choruses of birds and frogs—all backed by the hums and whines of insects.

From National Geographic ● Jan. 23, 2024

She advanced on the creatures, who backed away with nervous whines.

From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer

The children jumped for joy after winning a game of cornhole; others fell and whined in defeat, but got up to play again.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 27, 2026

After that experience, she whined about how the contest was rigged.

From Slate ● Oct. 11, 2025

"I’ve never done anything harmful," Musk whined, alleging he's the victim of a shadowy conspiracy of "larger forces at work."

From Salon ● Mar. 20, 2025

This would be the ruin of the NBA, or so the critics whined.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 17, 2025

The leader whined in unease and the two wheel dogs—the dogs pulling directly in front of the sled—turned and tried to climb back onto the sled.

From "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen

But it should also be said that Ms. Northeast, who has a face that might launch a thousand miniseries, makes this one immune to much whining.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026

“Stop whining, get a job, eat ramen like the rest of us did in college, on a budget with four roommates.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 9, 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

Bridges, in particular, has found a new level, making Knicks fans forget all the whining they did about the draft pick-swallowing trade they made for him.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 26, 2026

I had no idea how long he’d been there—probably as long as the high-pitched whining had been sounding over the bellow of the engine—certainly minutes.

From This Side of Wild by Gary Paulsen

Related Words

• gripe
• moan
• wail
• whimper