complain

verb

kəm-ˈplān How to pronounce complain (audio)
Definition of complainnext
as in to scream
to express dissatisfaction, pain, or resentment usually tiresomely the time-honored tradition of new recruits complaining about the food in the mess hall

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of complain But another resident, Kellie Canning, complained the city had not done enough to prevent water damage. — Fedor Zarkhin, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2026 The production was shut down in Livingston, Montana last Saturday when locals complained about the production’s impact on the Livingston food bank and improper warnings about hazardous stunts. — Pat Saperstein, Variety, 10 Oct. 2026 That would drive up yields on French bonds, making borrowing to fund that spending even more expensive—and thus worsen the problem that the rioters are complaining about. — Jason Ma, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2026 Trump later complained that CNN and MS NOW did not cover Xi’s visit, without mentioning his efforts to ban the two outlets from the White House grounds. — Ted Johnson, Deadline, 10 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for complain
Recent Examples of Synonyms for complain
  1. scream
  2. whine
  3. moan
  4. grumble
  5. mutter
  6. worry
Verb
  • In June 2016, Blair, who was returning to Los Angeles from a vacation in Cancun, Mexico, began screaming uncontrollably and causing chaos on the flight.
    — Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Back in California, Dodgers fans screamed at their television sets.
    — Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of scream
Verb
  • While the left spent all week whining about Sophie Cunningham's hat and firing squad best practices, us PATRIOTS were biding our time, keeping our heads down, and grinding towards another weekend.
    — Zach Dean OutKick, FOXNews.com, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Dogs may actually improve our sleep habits by forcing us to adjust to consistent bedtime schedules — as anyone with a sleepy, whining dog can confirm.
    — Gina Vivinetto, NBC news, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of whine
Verb
  • For a cold moment the silence locked a grip on our table, though it was broken, at the edges, by the golf commentators moaning and harrumphing, Rory McIlroy having had a canary on a seventeenth fairway somewhere this championship Sunday.
    — Kevin Barry, New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2026
  • By the time Fowler gave up trying to put one in Carruthers, DiLiberato could hear her client moaning and see blood oozing out of his puncture wounds.
    — Keri Blakinger, ProPublica, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of moan
Verb
  • Voters are not going to make legislators do a better job by grumbling and complaining.
    — Scott Warren, Washington Post, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Know More Waters is one of a number of senior members of Congress that fellow Democrats are grumbling about in private for being delinquent on their dues to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
    — Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of grumble
Verb
  • The camera then cut to McCarthy, who muttered a profanity in response.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Max Muncy, whose home run expanded the Dodgers’ lead, was still muttering about the heat nearly 15 minutes after escaping into air conditioning.
    — Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of mutter
Verb
  • More than half of people using AI at work worried that using it on important tasks would create exactly that impression.
    — Christoph Trattner, Fortune, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Opponents worry that the changes would mean less money getting invested in rural housing, precisely when housing affordability issues are hitting those areas the hardest.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of worry

Browse Nearby Words

complacent
complain
complainant
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Cite this Entry

“Complain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/complain. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

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