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
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
Mehus brushed off reports that ordinary grunts regard the M7, designed by the German company Sig Sauer, as a clunky dud and complain of its heavy weight.
—
Seth Harp, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
Fans have long complained about the pains of buying tickets to their favorite shows on sites like Ticketmaster and Live Nation.
—Danielle Chemtob, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
Democrats asked for a repeat of the parliamentary session, complaining that the governing Socialists canceled the debate on the Cabinet’s program.
—Nino Paoli, Fortune, 19 Sep. 2025
Some have complained that leadership hasn’t done enough to keep members safe, as well.
—Rachel Schilke, The Washington Examiner, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for complain
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Seth Harp, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
Fans have long complained about the pains of buying tickets to their favorite shows on sites like Ticketmaster and Live Nation.
—Danielle Chemtob, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
Democrats asked for a repeat of the parliamentary session, complaining that the governing Socialists canceled the debate on the Cabinet’s program.
—Nino Paoli, Fortune, 19 Sep. 2025
Some have complained that leadership hasn’t done enough to keep members safe, as well.
—Rachel Schilke, The Washington Examiner, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for complain
Cite this Entry
“Complain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/complain. Accessed 23 Sep. 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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