as in whine
an expression of dissatisfaction, pain, or resentment
the usual carp about that restaurant is that the service is slow
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to complain
to express dissatisfaction, pain, or resentment usually tiresomely
someone who carps and whines about everything is a pain
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to cavil
to make often peevish criticisms or objections about matters that are minor, unimportant, or irrelevant
carped about the order of names on the wedding invitations
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of carp
David Douglas,
NBC news,
27 May 2026
Immortality would also be lost on Stoyte, who rivals the carp in his mindless incapacity to notice anything interesting.
—
Literary Hub,
21 May 2026
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
19 Sep. 2025
Read more: How the Low-Stakes Murder Mystery Took Over Pop Culture
Advertisement
Still, The Thursday Murder Club is so good-natured, and so gorgeous to look at, that to carp about it just seems churlish.
—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
22 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for carp
Noun
About a dozen dead carp had been recovered from a river dike, Ferguson said.
—
David Douglas,
NBC news,
27 May 2026
Immortality would also be lost on Stoyte, who rivals the carp in his mindless incapacity to notice anything interesting.
—
Literary Hub,
21 May 2026
Verb
Should the pattern hold true throughout the long march to the Super Bowl, nobody’s going to be carping about the official headcount.
—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
19 Sep. 2025
Read more: How the Low-Stakes Murder Mystery Took Over Pop Culture
Advertisement
Still, The Thursday Murder Club is so good-natured, and so gorgeous to look at, that to carp about it just seems churlish.
—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
22 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for carp
Recent Examples of Synonyms for carp
Noun
-
Test recordings sounded clear and full, and the noise cancellation completely blocked out the buzz and whine of my 3D printer.
-
Lee's voice has always been Sui generis, a distinctive instrument caught between a whine and a yelp yet immediately recognizable.
Verb
-
At one practice during the fall of 2024, Washington’s assistant athletic director of football academics Diamond Brown was standing on the sideline when Jonah bounded up to her in full pads and begun complaining about his grade in a music class.
-
How to complain with flair at a restaurant when things go awry?
Verb
-
Naysayers often cavil that California’s economic growth depends almost entirely on Silicon Valley and the capital gains income of its wealthiest residents, but its primacy in high technology encompasses fields outside Northern California, such as biotech.
-
However, the actual interiors of this four-bedroom home are nothing to cavil at.
Noun
-
William Saliba — France/Arsenal (same) Saliba does everything on the pitch with a minimum of fuss.
-
The flowy silhouette packs down without much fuss.
Verb
-
Like why does Bravo think making the captions all different sizes screams Gen Z?
-
For Denver, who sent the pick away, this screams cost-cutting measure for a team running into second apron issues.
Verb
-
Musselwhite punctuated the music with his harmonica trills and moans while his right knee bounced in time with the rhythms.
-
And yes, that sound will dissipate and soon will be too faint for my human ears as it is absorbed into space, but Renee Gladman writes that spaces moan.
Noun
-
The case was initiated in August by an asylum-seeker from Guatemala who was arrested after leaving a routine immigration hearing in San Francisco and then held without access to adequate hygiene, sanitation, medical care and legal advice, according to the complaint.
-
On behalf of Aliya Rahman, the MacArthur Justice Center and a civil rights law firm filed a complaint with the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Homeland Security on Tuesday, requesting an investigation.
Verb
-
And the backdrop of worldwide unrest and escalating nuclear threat is subtle to a fault, though that’s just nitpicking.
-
There’s been a lot to nitpick with Clemson lately, but this recent recruiting run provides some positivity for a program that could really use it.
Cite this Entry
“Carp.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/carp. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
