whine

verb \ ˈhwīn , ˈwīn \

Updated on: 19 Apr 2018

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

—

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

Before games, her mother said, Kayla often would whine a little.

— bill laitner, Detroit Free Press, "In Detroit's Corktown, girls' winning team fits area's comeback," 1 Apr. 2018
Ingraham, citing a story published in the Daily Wire, tweeted Wednesday that Hogg whined about college rejections -- prompting backlash from Hogg and his sister, Lauren Hogg, who also survived the Parkland shooting.

— CBS News, "David Hogg rejects Fox News host Laura Ingraham's apology," 30 Mar. 2018
Fox News host Laura Ingraham tweeted that David Hogg, another Parkland student, was whining (her word) about the fact that four colleges had rejected his application.

— joseph gerth, The Courier-Journal, "Former Kosair Charities chief and others who attack kids show we've become soulless," 30 Mar. 2018
On Thursday, Fox News host Laura Ingraham apologized for saying in a tweet that Hogg was whining about not being accepted by four colleges.

— dan nowicki, azcentral, "Parkland survivor David Hogg to John McCain: 'Why do you take so much money from the NRA?'," 30 Mar. 2018
During another meeting, this one with senior aides, Trump apparently whined about how much money the Department of Defense was getting, noting that surely the Pentagon could afford to part with a few (or, say, 67) billion dollars.

— bess levin, The Hive, "Village Idiot Now Wants the Military to Pay for His Mexican Border Wall," 27 Mar. 2018
The players liked it and the haters hated it and whined their heads off.

— scott ostler, San Francisco Chronicle, "Some fine tuning to keep the Warriors’ engine humming," 22 Feb. 2018
If Lipinski loses, too, some of the same people cheering Ives will not pause for a moment before whining about Democrats no longer being a big tent party.

— ed kilgore, Daily Intelligencer, "The Attempted Purge of a Rare Pro-Choice Republican in Illinois," 16 Mar. 2018
Green, in some ways the ultimate team player, can’t manage to put his team ahead of his need to whine about the same horrible calls experienced by every player in the league.

— scott ostler, San Francisco Chronicle, "Love ’em or hate ’em, Warriors swagger into All-Star break," 15 Feb. 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.

Origin and Etymology of whine

Middle English, from Old English hwīnan to whiz; akin to Old Norse hvīna to whiz

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

See Words from the same year

whine Synonyms

Phrases

kick up a fuss;

whine

noun

Definition of whine

1 a : 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

—

whiny

or less commonly whiney play \ˈhwī-nē, ˈwī-\ adjective

See whine defined for English-language learners

Examples of whine in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of whine from the Web

While her spaniel whines pitifully for its missing master, her own complex feelings are still working their way to the surface.

— sheri linden, latimes.com, "Charlotte Rampling's emotional depth buoys the minimalist 'Hannah'," 8 Mar. 2018
That’s because functioning relationships don’t leave you a whole lot to whine about with other people.

— carolyn hax, idahostatesman, "Afraid to go directly to boyfriend with relationship problems | Idaho Statesman," 19 Mar. 2018
Then the coyote starting to whine and was twitching.

— don sweeney, sacbee, "Elusive coyote escapes police gunfire after biting 5-year-old at L.A. college | The Sacramento Bee," 15 Mar. 2018
Best of all, the noise cancelling is terrific, pulling a cabin-whine-free cocoon around your head and filling it with clear, punchy sound.

— cnt editors, Condé Nast Traveler, "The Best Tech Gifts for Travelers," 9 Mar. 2018
The first thing to be noticed is the sound, pitiful whines and yelps of about 300 animals being kept in filthy cages until their execution.

— martin rogers, USA TODAY, "Inside the grim scene of a Korean dog meat farm, just miles from the Winter Olympics," 12 Feb. 2018
Fiscal conservatism’ is just something that the minority party whines about to score political points.

— katherine timpf, National Review, "Rand Paul Is Right," 9 Feb. 2018
Its predatory side is subtly present in the whine of the supercharger and the rumble of exhaust.

— mark maynard, sandiegouniontribune.com, "2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk: In hot pursuit," 2 Feb. 2018
Only tire roar and a fair amount of motor whine are heard—a whisper compared to the decibel levels emitted by today’s turbo-diesel semis.

— bengt halvorson, Car and Driver, "Tesla Semi Caught Testing, Quietly, on Public Roads [Video]," 25 Jan. 2018

First Known Use of whine

1633

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

whine Synonyms

Synonyms

beef, bleat, carp, complaint, fuss, grievance, gripe, grouch, grouse, grumble, holler, lament, moan, murmur, plaint, squawk, wail, whimper, yammer;

Near Antonyms

commendation, compliment, plaudit;

acclaim, applause, praise;

approval, endorsement (also indorsement), sanction;

WHINE Defined for English Language Learners

whine

verb

Definition of whine for English Language Learners

: 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

Definition of whine for English Language Learners

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

WHINE Defined for Kids

whine

verb \ ˈhwīn , ˈwīn \

Definition of whine for Students

whined; whining

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.

—

whiner

\ˈhwī-nər, ˈwī-\ noun

whine

noun

Definition of whine for Students

: a high-pitched troubled or complaining cry or sound

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See words that rhyme with whine Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for whine Spanish Central: Translation of whine Nglish: Translation of whine for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of whine for Arabic speakers

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whine

Definition of whine

whiner

whiningly

Examples of whine in a Sentence

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Origin and Etymology of whine

whine Synonyms

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whine

Definition of whine

whiny

Examples of whine in a Sentence

Recent Examples of whine from the Web

First Known Use of whine

whine Synonyms

Synonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

WHINE Defined for English Language Learners

whine

Definition of whine for English Language Learners

whine

Definition of whine for English Language Learners

WHINE Defined for Kids

whine

Definition of whine for Students

whiner

whine

Definition of whine for Students

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