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
Synonyms
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
People who are only negative and complain all the time.
—
Dalton Ross, EW.com, 4 Sep. 2024
Comic book fans sent around 50,000 lets to Warner Bros. complaining about the selection.
—Zack Sharf, Variety, 3 Sep. 2024
In other cases, when students complained about antisemitism, some school administrators tried to steer them to mental health counseling, the report read.
—Omar Jimenez, CNN, 30 Aug. 2024
Almost all of the letters that Dickinson received were destroyed after her death, but her own surviving letters frequently complain about epistolary neglect.
—Kamran Javadizadeh, The New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for complain 
Dalton Ross, EW.com, 4 Sep. 2024
Comic book fans sent around 50,000 lets to Warner Bros. complaining about the selection.
—Zack Sharf, Variety, 3 Sep. 2024
In other cases, when students complained about antisemitism, some school administrators tried to steer them to mental health counseling, the report read.
—Omar Jimenez, CNN, 30 Aug. 2024
Almost all of the letters that Dickinson received were destroyed after her death, but her own surviving letters frequently complain about epistolary neglect.
—Kamran Javadizadeh, The New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for complain
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.
Dictionary Entries Near complain
Cite this Entry
“Complain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/complain. Accessed 9 Sep. 2024.
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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