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
The sheriff’s office told KHOU the upstairs neighbor and downstairs neighbor were complaining when the situation began to escalate.
—
Mike Stunson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Mar. 2025
Certain team members thrive on complaining but rarely contribute solutions.
—Cheryl Robinson, Forbes, 3 Mar. 2025
In one city, Reynosa, the national guard had to scale back its vehicle inspections after local officials and business owners complained of traffic backups of up to six hours.
—Mary Beth Sheridan The Washington Post, arkansasonline.com, 2 Mar. 2025
His quip followed Trump’s shocking Oval Office meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday, with the president berating Ukraine’s leader and complaining at the treatment shown to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 2 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for complain
Mike Stunson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Mar. 2025
Certain team members thrive on complaining but rarely contribute solutions.
—Cheryl Robinson, Forbes, 3 Mar. 2025
In one city, Reynosa, the national guard had to scale back its vehicle inspections after local officials and business owners complained of traffic backups of up to six hours.
—Mary Beth Sheridan The Washington Post, arkansasonline.com, 2 Mar. 2025
His quip followed Trump’s shocking Oval Office meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday, with the president berating Ukraine’s leader and complaining at the treatment shown to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 2 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for complain
Recent Examples of Synonyms for complain
Verb
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Rather than obediently following instructions, the Labrador made his displeasure known in an unmistakably human-like manner—growling, whining and huffing in defiance while facing his owners.—
Tom Rogers,
Newsweek,
20 Feb. 2025
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My advice to Democratic voters is to stop your whining about everything and save your complaints for the midterm election.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Feb. 2025
Verb
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There, Garrett screamed at his girlfriend, a guest in a neighboring room would later tell Tricia.—
Emerson Clarridge,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
6 Mar. 2025
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Her six-game outburst in the state preliminaries screamed of consistency, with no score lower than 217 and none higher than 269.—
Jeff Vorva,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Mar. 2025
Verb
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And all that online chatter, all those detractors who keep moaning about the Chiefs playing in the biggest games of the year every year?—
Kyle Feldscher,
CNN,
8 Feb. 2025
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Men writhe and moan in the shadows just out of sight as a young gay man walks through the dark room at Adonis, Copenhagen’s only gay sauna.—
David Opie,
IndieWire,
27 Jan. 2025
Verb
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The downside: Some players have grumbled about being gawked at by fans on the grounds.—
Kurt Badenhausen,
Sportico.com,
27 Feb. 2025
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For decades, Yankees players, for the most part, grumbled but complied.—
Marc Edelman,
Forbes,
25 Feb. 2025
Verb
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But unlike France — which has both Napoleonic history and darkly muttering existentialists wandering the streets of Paris to remind everyone just how bad things can get — we Americans have no natural immunity.—
Pat Beall,
Orlando Sentinel,
18 Feb. 2025
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Several people are pacing up and down the crowd muttering a headcount to themselves to figure out their number in line.—
Nick Robins-Early,
Vulture,
14 Feb. 2025
Verb
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How to Get Around With most of Grenada's hotels and resorts clustered around areas like Grand Anse Beach and St. George's, many visitors won't need to worry about transportation for most of their trip.—
Carley Rojas Avila,
Travel + Leisure,
9 Mar. 2025
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Immigrants worry about what happens next Without her, and with ongoing threats togovernment health care programs, Julia worries her clients would be left uncared for.—
Rachel Barber,
USA TODAY,
9 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Complain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/complain. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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