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
-
whining
present participle
noun
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whines
plural
-
a whining utterance, sound, or tone.
-
a feeble, peevish complaint.
noun
-
a long high-pitched plaintive cry or moan
-
a continuous high-pitched sound
-
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
-
had whinedperfect
-
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:
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
The hallways lead to more hallways, the overhead fluorescents whine like hornets.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 28, 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
“I want to stay,” I said, not caring about the whine in my voice.
From "Root Magic" by Eden Royce
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
“You could have used the spittoon! That’s what the other children did, but you weren’t interested,” Moira whines.
From Salon ● Feb. 4, 2026
No one whines about having to clean the bathroom or having a night shift.
From Slate ● Sep. 29, 2025
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
Another girl whines that “Brain” is just too gross a subject for her.
From "Speak" by Laurie Halse Anderson
She mostly stuck to the allotted time limits while Bass repeatedly whined that she wasn’t given enough time.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026
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
“Everything she says in her post about me can be shown to be demonstrably false with a simple search,” Musk whined in one reply.
From Slate ● Nov. 13, 2025
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
Rowdy whined, turned, and bounded for the store.
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
A whining Raman is not a good Raman, which her advisors need to drill into her sooner rather than later.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026
Courtney does great old ladies and whining teens, Michaels plays great curmudgeons and Palermo is great at space work.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026
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
He wasted no time whining about his losses, or imagining there was some way to recapture the ring’s value.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
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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.
