gripe

1 of 2

verb

ˈgrīp 

griped; griping

intransitive verb

1

: to complain with grumbling

Students griped about having too much homework.

2

: to experience gripes

transitive verb

1

a

: irritate, vex

griped by the new regulations

b

: afflict, distress

2

: to cause pinching and spasmodic pain in the bowels of

3

archaic : seize, grasp

griper noun

gripe

2 of 2

noun

1

: grievance, complaint

Her main gripe was his utter lack of ambition.

2

: a pinching spasmodic intestinal pain

—usually used in plural

3

archaic : clutch, grasp

broadly : control, mastery

Synonyms

Verb

• aggravate
• annoy
• bother
• bug
• burn (up)
• chafe
• eat
• exasperate
• frost
• gall
• get
• grate
• hack (off)
• irk
• irritate
• itch
• nark [British]
• nettle
• peeve
• persecute
• pique
• put out
• rasp
• rile
• ruffle
• spite
• vex

Noun

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

Examples of gripe in a Sentence

Verb

All of the workers were griping about the new regulations.

The students griped that they had too much homework.

Noun

I would rather not listen to gripes about your latest disasters in the dating game.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Escalating matters, Daltrey and Townshend have begun to publicly gripe about each other in the firing’s aftermath, which Devours is ignoring for now. —Devon Ivie, Vulture, 23 May 2025

Some customers have griped about having to pay the new $9 toll to drive to John’s Pizzeria, a Greenwich Village institution, in the heart of the congestion pricing zone. —Winnie Hu, New York Times, 12 May 2025

Noun

Really, these events are hotspots for content creators and people who want to be in their videos, but my biggest gripe has been with the music. —Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 22 May 2025

My only gripe is battery life, which makes sense for such a small vacuum. —Brenda Stolyar, Wired News, 22 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

Middle English, from Old English grīpan; akin to Old High German grīfan to grasp, Lithuanian griebti

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 3

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Rhymes for gripe

• hype
• lipe
• pipe
• ripe
• sipe
• skype
• snipe
• stipe
• stripe
• strype
• swipe
• tripe

Kids Definition

gripe

1 of 2 verb

ˈgrīp 

griped; griping

1

archaic : to seize firmly : grip

2

a

: afflict, distress

b

: irritate sense 1, vex

laziness gripes our teacher

3

: to cause or experience spasms of pain in the intestines

4

: complain sense 1

griper noun

gripe

2 of 2 noun

1

: grip entry 2 sense 1

2

a

: affliction sense 1

b

: complaint sense 1

3

: a spasm of pain in the intestines

Medical Definition

gripe

1 of 2 verb

ˈgrīp 

griped; griping

transitive verb

: to cause pinching and spasmodic pain in the bowels of

intransitive verb

: to experience gripes

gripe

2 of 2 noun

: a pinching spasmodic intestinal pain

—usually used in plural