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
Labour Party leader Chris Hipkins complained to public broadcaster Radio New Zealand that the bill is only meant to grab attention.
—
Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 22 Apr. 2025
Preservationists are complaining that Tranquillity’s plan would harm the open views in that part of town.
—Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 22 Apr. 2025
In another email to Instagram leaders in 2017, Systrom complained that Instagram got no new headcount despite a wide investment to grow the company’s video ambitions.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 22 Apr. 2025
In Matthew, Mark, and John, the disciples complain to Jesus that the costly perfume—which was called nard and derived from a kind of honeysuckle—could have been sold to raise money to feed the poor.
—Eliza Griswold, New Yorker, 19 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for complain
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 22 Apr. 2025
Preservationists are complaining that Tranquillity’s plan would harm the open views in that part of town.
—Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 22 Apr. 2025
In another email to Instagram leaders in 2017, Systrom complained that Instagram got no new headcount despite a wide investment to grow the company’s video ambitions.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 22 Apr. 2025
In Matthew, Mark, and John, the disciples complain to Jesus that the costly perfume—which was called nard and derived from a kind of honeysuckle—could have been sold to raise money to feed the poor.
—Eliza Griswold, New Yorker, 19 Apr. 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 29 Apr. 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share