complaint

noun com·plaint \ kəm-ˈplānt \

Definition of complaint

1 :expression of grief, pain, or dissatisfaction

She did her chores without complaint.

2 a :something that is the cause or subject of protest or outcry

Inefficiency was the main complaint against the local government.

b :a bodily ailment or disease

The patient's complaint was frequent headaches.

3 :a formal allegation against a party

The complaint alleges sexual harassment.

See complaint defined for English-language learners

See complaint defined for kids

Examples of complaint in a Sentence

The board has received a number of complaints about the new policy.
The company has a system to handle customer complaints.
The lack of parking spaces is a common complaint among the city's residents.
The lack of financial support is our biggest complaint.
He is being treated for a stomach complaint.
Shortness of breath was a common complaint among the patients.

Recent Examples of complaint from the Web

Then on Sunday, Aug. 27, Kansas City resident Ryan Elsenpeter filed a complaint with the ethics commission again alleging a conflict.

— lynn horsley, kansascity, "Ethics commission rules for councilwoman on conflict over KCI," 30 Aug. 2017
He was arrested on Aug. 25 after the Central Bank of West African States lodged a complaint for destruction of money, and was acquitted on Tuesday.

— pauline bax, Bloomberg.com, "Cash-Burning Activist Sets West Africa's Social Media on Fire," 29 Aug. 2017
Approximately 150 people were treated, but the complaints were by and large minor, and nobody was admitted to the hospital.

— brigit katz, Smithsonian, "A Mysterious Chemical Cloud Descended on the British Coast," 29 Aug. 2017
The DNC filed a petition to dismiss the complaint on July 22, the week the party's convention got underway — and the week that Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla.

— david weigel, chicagotribune.com, "Florida judge dismisses fraud lawsuit against DNC," 28 Aug. 2017
In an August 2016 court filing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeremy Bloor of Orlando, Fla., asked the court to keep Bernier’s complaint under seal while the federal government decided whether to join the case.

— michael gordon, charlotteobserver, "Feds have launched criminal investigation of Charlotte School of Law, documents say," 28 Aug. 2017
The San Diego County pension system does not want to pursue a whistleblower complaint against its former portfolio strategist and other advisers and instead is asking a judge to dismiss a False Claims Act lawsuit filed earlier this year.

— jeff mcdonald, sandiegouniontribune.com, "County pension trustees won't pursue case against former portfolio strategist," 25 Aug. 2017
Most recently, the watchdog group Truth in Advertising filed a formal complaint asking regulators to look into the company.

— gabriella paiella, The Cut, "The 23 Most Ridiculous Moments in Goop History, Ranked," 24 Aug. 2017
Still showing traces of graffiti, the container is the same one Rhinehart installed on a lot in Montecito Heights in 2016, yielding vandals, irate neighbors, and a criminal zoning complaint.

— andrew rosenblum, Los Angeles Magazine, "Soylent, Its 75 Employees, and Its Helipad, Are Landing in the Arts District," 17 Aug. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'complaint.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of complaint

Middle English compleynte, from Anglo-French compleint, from compleindre — see complain

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

complaint Synonyms

Synonyms

beef, bitch, bleat, carp, fuss, grievance, gripe, grouch, grouse, grumble, holler, kvetch, lament, miserere, moan, murmur, plaint, squawk, wail, whimper, whine, whinge [British], yammer

Antonyms

health, wellness

Related Words

challenge, demur, expostulation, kick, niggle [chiefly British], objection, protest, quibble, remonstrance, stink

Near Antonyms

commendation, compliment, plaudit; acclaim, applause, praise; approval, endorsement (also indorsement), sanction

COMPLAINT Defined for English Language Learners

complaint

noun

Definition of complaint for English Language Learners

: a statement that you are unhappy or not satisfied with something
: the act of saying or writing that you are unhappy or dissatisfied with something
: something to be unhappy about : something that people complain about

COMPLAINT Defined for Kids

complaint

noun com·plaint \ kəm-ˈplānt \

Definition of complaint for Students

1 :expression of grief, pain, or discontent

He does his work without complaint.

2 :a cause or reason for expressing grief, pain, or discontent

The noise is my biggest complaint.

3 :a sickness or disease of the body

a stomach complaint

4 :a charge of wrongdoing against a person

What's her complaint against me?

Medical Dictionary

complaint

noun com·plaint \ kəm-ˈplānt \

medical Definition of complaint

:a bodily ailment or disease

bloating and other digestive complaints
—Christine Gorman

Law Dictionary

complaint

noun com·plaint

legal Definition of complaint

1 :the initial pleading that starts a lawsuit and that sets forth the allegations made by the plaintiff against the defendant and the plaintiff's demand for relief — see also prayer, process, well-pleaded complaint rule — compare answer

2 :a document sworn to by a victim or police officer that sets forth a criminal violation and that serves as the charging instrument by which charges are filed and judicial proceedings commenced against a defendant in a magistrate's court — compare declaration, indictment, information

3 :petition