Definition of complaint
- She did her chores without complaint.
- Inefficiency was the main complaint against the local government.
- The patient's complaint was frequent headaches.
- The complaint alleges sexual harassment.
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.
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.
First Known Use: 14th century
in the meaning defined at sense 1
See Words from the same yearail, ailment, bug, complication, condition, disease, disorder, distemper, distemperature, fever, ill, illness, infirmity, malady, sickness, trouble;
fitness, healthiness, heartiness, robustness, soundness, wholeness, wholesomeness;
contagion, contagious disease;
debility, decrepitude, feebleness, frailness, lameness, sickliness, unhealthiness, unsoundness, unwellness, weakness;
epidemic, pest, pestilence, plague;
: 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
See words that rhyme with complaint Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for complaint Spanish Central: Translation of complaint Nglish: Translation of complaint for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of complaint for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about complaint
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