whine

verb

\ ˈhwīn ,

ˈwīn \

whined; whining

Definition of whine

(Entry 1 of 2)

intransitive verb

1a : to utter a high-pitched plaintive or distressed cry

b : to make a sound similar to such a cry the wind whined in the chimney

2 : to complain with or as if with a whine always whining about the weather

3 : to move or proceed with the sound of a whine the bullet whined … across the ice —Berton Roueché

transitive verb

: to utter or express with or as if with a whine

whine

noun

Definition of whine (Entry 2 of 2)

1a : a prolonged high-pitched cry usually expressive of distress or pain

b : a sound resembling such a cry

2 : a complaint uttered with or as if with a whine

Other Words from whine Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about whine

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Other words from whine

Verb

whiner noun

whiningly \ˈhwī-niŋ-lē,

ˈwī- \ adverb

Noun

whiny or less commonly whiney \ˈhwī-nē,

ˈwī- \ adjective

Examples of whine in a Sentence

Verb

He's always whining about the weather. Quit whining and finish your dinner. “I want to leave now,” she whined. The workers were whining that the office was too cold. The dog was whining because it wanted to go out. The electric saw whined as it cut through the wood.

Noun

the whine of a jet engine the perennial whine that movies aren't as good as they used to be

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Fathers doled out powdered milk mixed with water in bottles to whining toddlers. — Molly Hennessy-fiske, latimes.com, "Caught in limbo, Central American asylum-seekers are left waiting on a bridge over the Rio Grande," 5 June 2018 It’s time for America to toughen up, stop whining, and get to work. — Hal Boedeker, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Eric Bolling brings new show to Daytona Beach," 2 July 2018 Chris whines and pleads, but Wills stands his ground. — Anna Moeslein, Glamour, "The Bachelorette Season 14 Episode 5 Recap: These Guys Are All the Worst," 25 June 2018 Stardom awaits Moncada but the spotlight need not include longer, harder looks from umpires unwilling to give any close calls to the kid whose manager whined about his strike zone. — David Haugh, chicagotribune.com, "Rick Renteria's gripe only makes it tougher for Yoan Moncada," 13 June 2018 As such, here is a representative sample: LeBron is accused of flopping too much, whining to officials, and tweeting passive-aggressive barbs at teammates. — Dan Grunfeld, SI.com, "LeBron James's Only Underrated Attribute: His Character," 11 June 2018 In 1990, when she was invited to give the commencement address at Wellesley College, a group of students whined that someone best known as a wife and mother was not their idea of a modern women. — WSJ, "Barbara Bush," 17 Apr. 2018 Reath ate dinner all night against an array of shorter UL-Lafayette defenders, some who whined afterwards that Reath got favorable officiating calls. — Ron Higgins, NOLA.com, "If you light LSU coach Will Wade's fuse, step back and watch the fireworks," 15 Mar. 2018 Wine—don’t whine—at the zoo Kids whining at the zoo: upset about missing the tigers, in need of a nap, possibly kicking and screaming. — Adam Lukach, RedEye Chicago, "5 things to do in Chicago this weekend," 27 July 2017

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Let the old cranks at the diner whine about all the money being wasted on ramps, or all the best parking spaces now being off-limits. — Neil Swidey, BostonGlobe.com, "How Democrats would be better off if Bill Clinton had never been president," 10 July 2018 With its electronic appendages unleashing an animatronic whine that falls somewhere between an electronic knife and a Xerox machine, Atlas even stops to hop over a log before casually going on his bipedal way. — Peter Holley, chicagotribune.com, "Video of jogging humanoid robot scares internet," 14 May 2018 The whine came from battery-powered racecars running laps on a course laid out on the streets of Zurich — the first urban circuit race in Switzerland in more than half a century. — Jack Ewing, New York Times, "Racing Series Helps Show the Way to a Battery-Powered Future," 5 July 2018 The males' antennae act as tuning forks, resonating to the whine produced by the wings of females. — Ned Rozell, Anchorage Daily News, "Only female mosquitoes bother us (and other facts about the insects Alaskans love to hate)," 7 July 2018 When Dumas went out on his first run, what noise there was came from the whine of the electric motors and the annoying siren that EVs are required to run during the race. — Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, "7:57:148—Volkswagen makes racing history with record-breaking electric race car," 29 June 2018 Lexus added all sorts of extra insulation, including a special firewall layer, to address the whine that many first-timers to Toyota/Lexus hybrids think may be a police or fire vehicle approaching from a distance. — Jeff Yip, Houston Chronicle, "Posher, sleeker 2019 Lexus ES will have Apple CarPlay, Amazon Alexa," 16 June 2018 On Wednesday, as the first week of qualifying races was underway, the high-whine of bike engines suddenly halted in the evening. — Kyle Swenson, chicagotribune.com, "Motorcycle racing's 'most dangerous' event is underway and a rider is already dead," 1 June 2018 With its electronic appendages unleashing an animatronic whine that falls somewhere between an electronic knife and a Xerox machine, Atlas even stops to hop over a log before casually going on his bipedal way. — Peter Holley, BostonGlobe.com, "Boston Dynamics posts video of jogging humanoid robot that scares the internet," 11 May 2018

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

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More Definitions for whine

whine

verb

English Language Learners Definition of whine

(Entry 1 of 2)

: to complain in an annoying way

: to make a high, crying sound

: to make a high and unpleasant sound that continues for a long time

whine

noun

English Language Learners Definition of whine (Entry 2 of 2)

: a high and unpleasant sound that continues for a long time

See the full definition for whine in the English Language Learners Dictionary

whine

verb

\ ˈhwīn ,

ˈwīn \

whined; whining

Kids Definition of whine

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : to make a high-pitched troubled cry or a similar sound He was so eager to join her I could hear him whining as he swam. —Wilson Rawls, Where the Red Fern Grows

2 : to complain by or as if by whining “I always get blamed,” she whined.