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
Waiting for a frustrated customer to complain about blackout dates is defense.
—
Jeff Fromm, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
But this scraping has sparked a huge backlash from publishers, artists and writers, who complain that it has been done without any consent or compensation.
—Billy Perrigo, Time, 1 July 2025
But the transaction has raised alarm among a former high-level Blue Shield executive and consumer advocates, who complain that it was carried out with no public oversight and could allow the insurer to transfer money to a Delaware parent company with few strings attached.
—Laurence Darmiento, Los Angeles Times, 30 June 2025
Find something worthwhile to complain about or change the channel.
—Ticked Off, The Orlando Sentinel, 29 June 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.
Jeff Fromm, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
But this scraping has sparked a huge backlash from publishers, artists and writers, who complain that it has been done without any consent or compensation.
—Billy Perrigo, Time, 1 July 2025
But the transaction has raised alarm among a former high-level Blue Shield executive and consumer advocates, who complain that it was carried out with no public oversight and could allow the insurer to transfer money to a Delaware parent company with few strings attached.
—Laurence Darmiento, Los Angeles Times, 30 June 2025
Find something worthwhile to complain about or change the channel.
—Ticked Off, The Orlando Sentinel, 29 June 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 8 Jul. 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