whining

American

[wahy-ning, hwahy-] / ˈwaɪ nɪŋ, ˈʰwaɪ- /

adjective

uttering a nasal, complaining cry, as from peevishness, discontent, uneasiness, etc..

If there’s one sound that makes me want to tear my ears off, it’s the sound of a whining tomcat.
Our daughter has grown from a whining child on the first day of playgroup to one who asks to go even on Saturdays.
complaining in a petulant, self-pitying way.

Those whining people who blame everyone and think everyone is against them need to grow up.
making or being a drawn-out, high-pitched sound.

In courtship, the male of the white-eyed vireo displays to the female by fluffing its plumage, spreading its tail, and uttering a whining call.

noun

the act or habit of crying or complaining in a peevish way.

Can I give you a bit more work today if I have to, and not get any whining from you?
the act of making a drawn-out, high-pitched sound.

A few hours later the whining of a chainsaw began.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns

whinings

plural

Etymology

Origin of whining

First recorded in 1400–50; whin(e) ( def. ) + -ing ² ( def. ) for the adjective senses; whin(e) ( def. ) + -ing ¹ ( def. ) for the noun senses

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:

whining whinings

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

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

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

For a while, every morning at 5:58 my one dog, Dot, would start whining and moving around until I’d go “yeah, OK, let’s feed you.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 3, 2026

Ten minutes later, when I need to leave for school and Charlie starts whining that she’s hungry, my page looks exactly the same.

From "Isaiah Dunn Is My Hero" by Kelly J. Baptist

So why should anyone care about the whinings of the press?

From US News ● Mar. 11, 2016

All kinds of vibrations now, high whinings and low rumbles.

From New York Times ● Mar. 8, 2011

For 15 years the midnight ocean is made hideous by the howls and whinings of the imprisoned first-mate.

From Time Magazine Archive

But the jolting hurt Old Yeller till sometimes he couldn’t hold back his whinings.

From "Old Yeller" by Fred Gipson

Darting along the passage and tearing towards me, he scrambled up the overturned drawers, and, burying his face in my lap, set up the most piteous whinings.

From Scottish Ghost Stories by Elliott O'Donnell

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023