whine

1 of 2

verb

whined; whining

intransitive verb

1
a
: to utter a high-pitched plaintive or distressed cry
b
: to make a sound similar to such a cry
the wind whined in the chimney
2
: to complain with or as if with a whine
always whining about the weather
3
: to move or proceed with the sound of a whine
the bullet whined … across the iceBerton Roueché

transitive verb

: to utter or express with or as if with a whine
whiner noun

whine

2 of 2

noun

1
a
: a prolonged high-pitched cry usually expressive of distress or pain
b
: a sound resembling such a cry
2
: a complaint uttered with or as if with a whine

Examples of whine in a Sentence

Verb He's always whining about the weather. Quit whining and finish your dinner. “I want to leave now,” she whined. The workers were whining that the office was too cold. The dog was whining because it wanted to go out. The electric saw whined as it cut through the wood. Noun the whine of a jet engine the perennial whine that movies aren't as good as they used to be
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Dogs left alone by their owners often whine due to loneliness, howl and bark, disturbing the other tenants. Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 8 Mar. 2024 The depth and breadth of torque, accompanied by supercharger whine up front and burbling exhaust in back, is something no other engine offers. Karl Brauer, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2024 The electric screwdriver whined, stopped, and whined again. Addie Citchens, The New Yorker, 5 Feb. 2024 Dentists have seen their fair share of tantrums so don’t be embarrassed if your child lashes out or whines once in the chair. Bevone Ritchie, Miami Herald, 30 Jan. 2024 Or maybe, like Larry opening up a spite store at the end of Season Ten, David is moving in the same general direction as a way to thumb his nose at all the viewers who’ve been whining about the end of Seinfeld for the last 26 years. Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 29 Jan. 2024 There’s an immersive soundscape too: Water babbles, birds chirp and insects whine about who knows what. Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Jan. 2024 And the Colorado decision opens the way not just for more whining about witch hunts but for unprecedented confusion about whether and where Trump is on the ballot. Amy Davidson Sorkin, The New Yorker, 21 Dec. 2023 While the general population often experiences Gen Z as whining, moaning complainers who expect the world to be handed to them on a platter, the data shows that Gen Z see themselves as trying to navigate the world without a road map. Suzy Welch, Fortune, 30 Nov. 2023
Noun
Over the whine of the motor, Dre Elmore explained that many of the houseboat people seem to be live-aboard artists and musicians. Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 14 Feb. 2024 Like how she and her siblings were often roused from their dreams on weekend mornings by the sound of garlic being pummeled in a mortar and pestle, or the whine of chickpeas passing through a meat grinder to become falafel. Jordan P. Hickey, Longreads, 22 Feb. 2024 Representatives’ prayers and the whine of the air-filtration hood motors echoed in the chamber. Sarah D. Wire, Los Angeles Times, 4 Jan. 2024 Even when brisk prairie winds blow, the shrill whine of the fans within Applied Digital’s Bitcoin mine can be heard a half-mile away. Gabriel J.x. Dance Zach Levitt, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2023 Overhead is the ubiquitous whine of Israeli drones. Alexander Smith, NBC News, 14 Feb. 2024 Advertisement Over the whine of the motor, Dre Elmore explained that many of the houseboat people seem to be live-aboard artists and musicians. Christopher Reynolds, Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan. 2024 Related Stories Christine Lahti Joins Cast of 'Russian Troll Farm: A Workplace Comedy' Off-Broadway (Exclusive) Appropriate begins with the shrill whine of cicadas. Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Dec. 2023 This reduced the whine but did not remove it entirely. IEEE Spectrum, 26 Nov. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'whine.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, from Old English hwīnan to whiz; akin to Old Norse hvīna to whiz

First Known Use

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Noun

1633, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of whine was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near whine

Cite this Entry

“Whine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whine. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

whine

1 of 2 verb
ˈhwīn How to pronounce whine (audio)
ˈwīn
whined; whining
1
: to make a shrill troubled cry or a similar sound
a child whining
the electric saw whined as it cut the wood
2
: to complain with or as if with a whine
always whining about his chores
whiner noun
whiningly adverb

whine

2 of 2 noun
1
: a whining cry or sound
2
: a complaint uttered with or as if with a whine
whiny
ˈhwi-nē
ˈwī-
adjective

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