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
That all took place before social media outcry from customers, who complained the chain’s portion sizes were way too small.
—
Francisco Velasquez, Quartz, 16 Sep. 2024
The woman had complained to Farley’s office after that 2017 exam.
—Meena Duerson, CNN, 15 Sep. 2024
Another patient who complained to Cedars-Sinai also reported her allegations to the Beverly Hills Police Department.
—Corinne Purtill, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2024
Initially told he was not allowed to talk about witnesses, jurors, potential jurors, prosecutors, or family members of prosecutors or the judge, Trump complained that he was being treated unfairly and was being targeted because of his status as the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.
—Max Thornberry, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 14 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for complain 
Francisco Velasquez, Quartz, 16 Sep. 2024
The woman had complained to Farley’s office after that 2017 exam.
—Meena Duerson, CNN, 15 Sep. 2024
Another patient who complained to Cedars-Sinai also reported her allegations to the Beverly Hills Police Department.
—Corinne Purtill, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2024
Initially told he was not allowed to talk about witnesses, jurors, potential jurors, prosecutors, or family members of prosecutors or the judge, Trump complained that he was being treated unfairly and was being targeted because of his status as the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.
—Max Thornberry, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 14 Sep. 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 20 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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