whine

American  

[hwahyn, wahyn] / ʰwaɪn, waɪn /

verb (used without object)

whined, whining

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)

whined, whining

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

   I whined my litany of complaints.

noun

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

Related Words

See complain.

Other Word Forms

• whiner
  noun
• whining
  adjective
• whiningly
  adverb

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

Whine all you want, dudes on the internet, but there's no changing facts.

From Salon • Dec. 8, 2023

Colón of Miami, Florida, originally posted the video to her Pairs Well with Whine account on Aug. 22, and it has gone on to reach more than 10.8 million viewers on the video-sharing app.

From Fox News • Sep. 22, 2021

Ms. Odufuwa, the head of public relations in Africa for a large cryptocurrency exchange, had recently moved back to Lagos from the United Kingdom when she set up Wine and Whine.

From New York Times • Mar. 12, 2021

The Evil Empire may have been replaced by Fine Whine.

From Washington Post • Oct. 13, 2011

Whine, complain, sulk, scream, and carry on, but never cry.

From "The Dead and the Gone" by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Related Words

• gripe
• moan
• wail
• whimper