as in to scream
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 following evening, three legislators complained to me that several of these groups were actively undermining one another.
—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
Time,
28 June 2026
Drums and bells had been used for so long to gather people for town meetings or church services that hardly anybody complained when bells were tuned or fifes added to the drum corps, which began to march with choreographic precision.
—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
28 June 2026
Lionel Messi and Argentina, on the other hand, probably wouldn't complain much about their potential path to the World Cup final four.
—
CBS News,
28 June 2026
The filing described how Bateman treated the girls as property, strictly controlled their behavior and complained to followers about them while continuing to exploit them.
—
Charlotte Phillipp,
PEOPLE,
27 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for complain
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
Time,
28 June 2026
Drums and bells had been used for so long to gather people for town meetings or church services that hardly anybody complained when bells were tuned or fifes added to the drum corps, which began to march with choreographic precision.
—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
28 June 2026
Lionel Messi and Argentina, on the other hand, probably wouldn't complain much about their potential path to the World Cup final four.
—
CBS News,
28 June 2026
The filing described how Bateman treated the girls as property, strictly controlled their behavior and complained to followers about them while continuing to exploit them.
—
Charlotte Phillipp,
PEOPLE,
27 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for complain
Recent Examples of Synonyms for complain
Verb
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Police said that after the girl screamed, the video shows a man getting into his vehicle and driving away.
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The couple’s relationship began with a friendship bracelet and a podcast shout-out in July 2023, and by September Swift was screaming profanities in support of her new favorite football player.
Verb
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And that’s nothing to whine about.
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Jessie whines about the good old days all the time — how fun is that?
Verb
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The call lasted for 12 excruciating minutes, as Adams moaned in pain.
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Witnesses who observed those executions later shared unnerving, and, at times, horrific, accounts of inmates thrashing, moaning, or otherwise appearing to show signs of suffering after the nitrogen gas began to flow.
Verb
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Some soccer purists grumbled about the World Cup expanding this year from 32 to 48 teams.
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Many of these same teen voters likely have parents who grumble about how nothing has changed regarding gun violence in this city, even though Illinois ranks among top states for the strictest gun laws in the nation.
Verb
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Bat met ball and, under his breath, Astros manager Joe Espada muttered an expletive.
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In the shadows of the long-hut, the elders muttered among themselves—of portents and crops and weather and the storage of grain.
Verb
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At 53%, most Americans worry AI could cost them or someone in their household a job, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released in June.
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The 2025 outbreak was HPAI, and that’s the strain that continues to worry veterinarians and poultry scientists.
Cite this Entry
“Complain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/complain. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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