whine

verb \ ˈhwīn , ˈwīn \

|Updated on: 8 Aug 2018

Examples: whine in a Sentence

Definition of whine

whined; whining

intransitive verb

1 a : 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

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whiner

noun

—

whiningly

play \ˈhwī-niŋ-lē, ˈwī-\ adverb

See whine defined for English-language learners

See whine defined for kids

Examples of whine in a Sentence

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.

Recent Examples of whine from the Web

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
Given that Bill Clinton just blew himself up and this is Clinton is still whining why me, the de facto leader of the Democratic Party remains Barack Obama.

— Fox News, "Former Miss America on pageant dropping swimsuit competition," 6 June 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.