complained; complaining; complains
1
: to express grief, pain, or discontent
complaining about the weather
2
: to make a formal accusation or charge
He threatened to complain of him to the captain.
complainer
noun
Synonyms
Examples of complain in a Sentence
He works hard but he never complains.
If you're unhappy with the service, you should complain to the manager.
The students complained that the test was too hard.
“These shoes are too tight,” he complained.
Recent Examples on the Web
Palestinians complain of ill-treatment In exchange for the hostages' release, Israel is freeing 183 Palestinian prisoners, some convicted of involvement in attacks that killed dozens of people, as well as 111 detained in Gaza during the war.
—
Hussam Al-Masri, USA TODAY, 10 Feb. 2025
Many conspiracy theorists have complained about Black history being relegated to the calendar’s shortest month.
—Leonard Greene, New York Daily News, 9 Feb. 2025
Ostheimer complained that nearly 100 students were turned away from an earlier meeting set exclusively for student input, held in a room with a very limited seating.
—Jessica Abramsky, Sun Sentinel, 8 Feb. 2025
Users flocked to social media and Reddit forums to complain about the company’s app.
—John Towfighi, CNN, 8 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for complain 
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Hussam Al-Masri, USA TODAY, 10 Feb. 2025
Many conspiracy theorists have complained about Black history being relegated to the calendar’s shortest month.
—Leonard Greene, New York Daily News, 9 Feb. 2025
Ostheimer complained that nearly 100 students were turned away from an earlier meeting set exclusively for student input, held in a room with a very limited seating.
—Jessica Abramsky, Sun Sentinel, 8 Feb. 2025
Users flocked to social media and Reddit forums to complain about the company’s app.
—John Towfighi, CNN, 8 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for complain
Dictionary Entries Near complain
Cite this Entry
“Complain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/complain. Accessed 13 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
complain
verb
com·plain
kəm-ˈplān 
1
: to express grief, pain, or discontent : find fault
complaining about the weather
2
: to accuse someone of wrongdoing
complainer
noun
Medical Definition
complain
intransitive verb
com·plain
kəm-ˈplān
: to speak of one's illness or symptoms
the patient visited the office complaining of weight loss
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