complain

verb

com·​plain kəm-ˈplān How to pronounce complain (audio)
complained; complaining; complains

intransitive verb

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
complainingly adverb

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 Deitrick was not satisfied with the company’s response and took to X, formerly Twitter, to complain and his tweet went viral amassing over 2 million views. Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Mar. 2024 Two doors down was Viktor, who complained of repeatedly fixing holes in his roof from shelling. Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, 5 Mar. 2024 For years, the music streaming service has complained that the App Store’s in-app payment system and 30 percent commission has put it at a disadvantage to Apple Music, which can sell subscriptions directly without a similar fee. Adam Satariano, New York Times, 4 Mar. 2024 Some Democrats were already complaining publicly that Biden’s campaign was complacent and behind schedule in hiring staff for battleground states. Evan Osnos, The New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2024 In the ’60s comedy was still the purview of mostly older, mostly married men, wearing suits — if not tuxedos — complaining about their wives and kids and their lot in life. Elayne Boosler, Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2024 Over the past year, Musk has complained about OpenAI and other AI companies scraping the data of his social media company X, formerly Twitter, to help train their bots. Julian Mark, Washington Post, 1 Mar. 2024 Hopefully, after enough people complain and share their ire and displeasure, one day, the job interview process will become more humane and transparent. Jack Kelly, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 Bills are posted all over Facebook with 100-plus comments detailing rising prices and complaining about charges that people don’t understand. The Enquirer, 23 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'complain.' 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

Middle English compleynen, from Anglo-French compleindre, from Vulgar Latin *complangere, from Latin com- + plangere to lament — more at plaint

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of complain was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near complain

Cite this Entry

“Complain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/complain. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

complain

verb
com·​plain kəm-ˈplān How to pronounce complain (audio)
1
: to express grief, pain, or discontent : find fault
complaining about the weather
2
: to accuse someone of wrongdoing
complainer noun
complainingly adverb

Medical Definition

complain

intransitive verb
com·​plain kəm-ˈplān How to pronounce complain (audio)
: to speak of one's illness or symptoms
the patient visited the office complaining of weight loss

Legal Definition

complain

intransitive verb
com·​plain
: to make a complaint

More from Merriam-Webster on complain

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