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
City staff investigated areas where residents had complained about speeding cars, as well as spots that had previously had issues recorded by speed studies or police enforcement.
—
Beth Lipoff, Kansas City Star, 21 Jan. 2026
White also suggested that Harry could have complained about these stories at the time of their publication but chose not to.
—Lauren Said-Moorhouse, CNN Money, 21 Jan. 2026
Concertgoers have praised much about the festival, but complained about long concessions lines and inflated prices for beer and alcohol.
—Ross Raihala, Twin Cities, 21 Jan. 2026
During the intermission, another audience member complained about the disruptive group to house management.
—Emma Kershaw, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for complain
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Beth Lipoff, Kansas City Star, 21 Jan. 2026
White also suggested that Harry could have complained about these stories at the time of their publication but chose not to.
—Lauren Said-Moorhouse, CNN Money, 21 Jan. 2026
Concertgoers have praised much about the festival, but complained about long concessions lines and inflated prices for beer and alcohol.
—Ross Raihala, Twin Cities, 21 Jan. 2026
During the intermission, another audience member complained about the disruptive group to house management.
—Emma Kershaw, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for complain
Cite this Entry
“Complain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/complain. Accessed 24 Jan. 2026.
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
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