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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 complain
However, Reece said that his mother began to complain of a headache and dizziness, prompting her to sit down and rest later in the day.
—
Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 10 Jan. 2026
Down the road at Manchester City, Pep Guardiola used to complain his club didn’t have enough of it to call upon, particularly on European nights when United and Real Madrid could reach back into the past for belief.
—James Horncastle, New York Times, 10 Jan. 2026
Any of the three could have been first, and no one would have complained.
—Les Carpenter, Washington Post, 10 Jan. 2026
Local businesses along the busy tourist strip complained that foot traffic from events was down and that the building was becoming an eyesore.
—Daniel Rivero, Miami Herald, 9 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for complain
Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 10 Jan. 2026
Down the road at Manchester City, Pep Guardiola used to complain his club didn’t have enough of it to call upon, particularly on European nights when United and Real Madrid could reach back into the past for belief.
—James Horncastle, New York Times, 10 Jan. 2026
Any of the three could have been first, and no one would have complained.
—Les Carpenter, Washington Post, 10 Jan. 2026
Local businesses along the busy tourist strip complained that foot traffic from events was down and that the building was becoming an eyesore.
—Daniel Rivero, Miami Herald, 9 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for complain
Recent Examples of Synonyms for complain
Verb
-
Bill Belichick’s resume screams one-way ticket to Canton, Ohio, but when he wasn’t voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, many were left flabbergasted on Tuesday night.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Under the watchful eye of sheriffs deputies who threatened to ticket anyone caught standing in the road, along with a small number of National Guard members, the protesters took turns screaming swears and warming up in nearby parked cars.—
Christopher Cann,
USA Today,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The children jumped for joy after winning a game of cornhole; others fell and whined in defeat, but got up to play again.—
Christopher Buchanan,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Horns whine in constant protest.—
Max Klaver,
Miami Herald,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
While Slot was moaning about having to play two away matches in four days (and about missing a couple of key players), Emery, also without important figures such as Boubacar Kamara, was overseeing his Villa side playing the same tough schedule and win both games without conceding a goal.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
26 Jan. 2026
-
The austerity gives her plenty of room to writhe, mug, and moan between occasional shots of an inflatable Martian and a tropical-looking Tiffany lamp.—
Kory Grow,
Rolling Stone,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
And perhaps some—Ho Jin just barks at him to take it all and grumbles that Ji Seon is a bad influence.—
Hannah Abraham,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Legislators often grumbled about being squeezed by Newsom, but felt compelled — not always but most of the time — to go along.—
Dan Walters,
Mercury News,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The camera then turns to James Austin Johnson, who played the president, sleeping and muttering New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s name.—
Giulia Carbonaro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Dec. 2025
-
On the plane, Dick clutches the slingshot and begins sweating and muttering to himself before becoming unresponsive.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
10 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Alinejad views her mission as exposing the situation in Iran and giving voice to victims, but worries the attempts on her life will create a fear of inviting her to speak.—
Katrina Kaufman,
CBS News,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Lindsay Koshgarian, the program director of the National Priorities Project who has been tracking deployment costs, worries that at some point, these expenses will affect funding for other important military priorities.—
Juliana Kim,
NPR,
28 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Complain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/complain. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
