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
The sale of Internet Pro began in February through the Mobile Communications Company of Iran (MCI), after businesses complained that they had been hurt by heavily restricted access during nationwide protests in January.
—
Tim Lister, CNN Money, 10 May 2026
Finch complained about a foul not being called as the Spurs trapped Edwards near half court.
—Marcus Thompson Ii, New York Times, 10 May 2026
Villagers had allegedly complained that packs of stray dogs were often roaming the area before the incident occurred, per the outlet.
—Desiree Anello, PEOPLE, 10 May 2026
Anushka complains about the agreement that asks users to accept 97 pages of terms and conditions in 7-point font, but these guys don’t even see themselves as car manufacturers.
—Scott Tobias, Vulture, 10 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for complain
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Tim Lister, CNN Money, 10 May 2026
Finch complained about a foul not being called as the Spurs trapped Edwards near half court.
—Marcus Thompson Ii, New York Times, 10 May 2026
Villagers had allegedly complained that packs of stray dogs were often roaming the area before the incident occurred, per the outlet.
—Desiree Anello, PEOPLE, 10 May 2026
Anushka complains about the agreement that asks users to accept 97 pages of terms and conditions in 7-point font, but these guys don’t even see themselves as car manufacturers.
—Scott Tobias, Vulture, 10 May 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 12 May. 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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