as in to whine
to express dissatisfaction, pain, or resentment usually tiresomely
the time-honored tradition of new recruits complaining about the food in the mess hall
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of complain
In my experience as an outfitter, Altra has always been my go-to suggestion whenever a customer walks in complaining about foot problems.
—
Alice Bennett, Travel + Leisure, 11 Sep. 2025
Miami is awful, and everyone should’ve known it the minute their players were complaining that their joint practice with the Bears was too tough.
—Jon Greenberg, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2025
After complaining of pain, Nelson continues, Dakar rinsed off the solution and gave her a fan to cool her face down.
—Catherine Santino, PEOPLE, 11 Sep. 2025
Apparently without recognizing the irony, the same AI companies who steal our work to build their models have complained vociferously about China’s theft of their IP for DeepSeekAI.
—Ruth Vitale, Deadline, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for complain
Alice Bennett, Travel + Leisure, 11 Sep. 2025
Miami is awful, and everyone should’ve known it the minute their players were complaining that their joint practice with the Bears was too tough.
—Jon Greenberg, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2025
After complaining of pain, Nelson continues, Dakar rinsed off the solution and gave her a fan to cool her face down.
—Catherine Santino, PEOPLE, 11 Sep. 2025
Apparently without recognizing the irony, the same AI companies who steal our work to build their models have complained vociferously about China’s theft of their IP for DeepSeekAI.
—Ruth Vitale, Deadline, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for complain
Recent Examples of Synonyms for complain
Verb
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The canine was filmed barking and whining incessantly while balancing himself on his owner's knees.—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Sep. 2025
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The cats kept them up each night with their incessant whining and scratching at their doors.—
Duaa Eldeib,
ProPublica,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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You are caught by surprise by the car door opening, and scream and bury your teeth in the arm of the cop trying to bring you home, scrapping all the harder for being caught unawares.—
Matthew Shen Goodman,
Harpers Magazine,
19 Sep. 2025
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The group chanted, sang and screamed at a group of agents in military fatigues and masks who walked back and forth on the building’s roof.—
Caroline Kubzansky,
Boston Herald,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Julia says, dropping to all fours and moaning amid a pile of straw on the floor.—
Kimberly Roots,
TVLine,
5 Sep. 2025
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Ellis could be heard moaning and could be seen lying on the ground.—
Elena Santa Cruz,
AZCentral.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Enterprises grumble about uneven ROI from their AI pilots, regulators press harder on compliance and even startup founders whisper about inflated valuations.—
Kolawole Samuel Adebayo,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
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By the late ‘90s and early 2000s, anglers started grumbling about too many striped bass.—
Christine Peterson,
Outdoor Life,
17 Sep. 2025
Verb
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My husband has been muttering in a loop about tuition, books, food, and transportation to and from home to campus.—
Melissa Willets,
Parents,
15 Sep. 2025
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Although full disclosure, those two words were muttered in the press box Sunday after Nix had thrown two unsightly picks through the first three quarters of the Broncos’ win over Tennessee.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Wildfire worries With the worsening drought comes worries over wildfires.—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
14 Sep. 2025
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The airline's fall from grace should worry anyone with loyalty to the brand.—
Christopher Elliott,
Forbes.com,
14 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Complain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/complain. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
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