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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in protesting
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
as in whining
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
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
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
Time,
28 June 2026
Drums and bells had been used for so long to gather people for town meetings or church services that hardly anybody complained when bells were tuned or fifes added to the drum corps, which began to march with choreographic precision.
—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
28 June 2026
Edgar Thompson,
The Orlando Sentinel,
8 Feb. 2026
Maggie Ryan,
Flow Space,
23 June 2026
The two traced the story of the show back to their first meeting in 2011, realized on screen at the presentation with a tongue-in-cheek comic panel featuring Wong complaining about their lunch.
—
Kambole Campbell,
Variety,
23 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for complain
Verb
The following evening, three legislators complained to me that several of these groups were actively undermining one another.
—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
Time,
28 June 2026
Drums and bells had been used for so long to gather people for town meetings or church services that hardly anybody complained when bells were tuned or fifes added to the drum corps, which began to march with choreographic precision.
—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
28 June 2026
Adjective
An energy vampire has bad body language, the complaining look on their face, the vocal complainer.
—
Edgar Thompson,
The Orlando Sentinel,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
Women were complaining of redness, flakiness, or peeling with the use of tretinoin, a retinoid that promotes collagen synthesis and elastin renewal.
—
Maggie Ryan,
Flow Space,
23 June 2026
The two traced the story of the show back to their first meeting in 2011, realized on screen at the presentation with a tongue-in-cheek comic panel featuring Wong complaining about their lunch.
—
Kambole Campbell,
Variety,
23 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for complain
Recent Examples of Synonyms for complain
Verb
-
Like why does Bravo think making the captions all different sizes screams Gen Z?
-
For Denver, who sent the pick away, this screams cost-cutting measure for a team running into second apron issues.
Verb
-
Jessie whines about the good old days all the time — how fun is that?
-
Don’t whine about his Northern California roots or love of the local nine.
Verb
-
Musselwhite punctuated the music with his harmonica trills and moans while his right knee bounced in time with the rhythms.
-
And yes, that sound will dissipate and soon will be too faint for my human ears as it is absorbed into space, but Renee Gladman writes that spaces moan.
Verb
-
Some soccer purists grumbled about the World Cup expanding this year from 32 to 48 teams.
-
Many of these same teen voters likely have parents who grumble about how nothing has changed regarding gun violence in this city, even though Illinois ranks among top states for the strictest gun laws in the nation.
Verb
-
Bat met ball and, under his breath, Astros manager Joe Espada muttered an expletive.
-
In the shadows of the long-hut, the elders muttered among themselves—of portents and crops and weather and the storage of grain.
Verb
-
But prosecutors said their further investigation raised significant doubts about those conclusions, worrying them that a jury would not find Hobby guilty of an arson charge.
-
Some academic leaders worry that the report might drive students away from programs that encompass the core of human knowledge.
Cite this Entry
“Complain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/complain. Accessed 1 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
