whimpered

verb

past tense of whimper
1
as in cried
to utter feeble plaintive cries the dog whimpered to be let in

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in complained
to express dissatisfaction, pain, or resentment usually tiresomely a good-hearted person, but given to whimpering about trifles

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 whimpered Pancho, a heavy-bodied Airedale, whimpered and rubbed against my leg with the expectation of excitement to come. — Frank C. Hibben, Outdoor Life, 15 July 2026 Arms flew around in exasperation, and the woman left the table for such a long time that the large dog lying at their feet sat up and whimpered in the direction of her departure. — Literary Hub, 20 May 2026 Having whimpered out of World Cup contention, a maiden goal against the two-time world champions may be sufficient consolation for an Azerbaijan side low on morale. — Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whimpered
  1. cried
  2. complained
  3. sobbed
  4. screamed
  5. moaned
  6. whined
  7. muttered
  8. growled
Verb
  • Mexico women cried with joy after a 20-19 win over Great Britain — which rallied from 20-6 down — for the women’s bronze and an Olympic spot.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Oscar-winning composer Alan Menken cried while tributing songwriting partner Howard Ashman on stage at D23’s Beauty and the Beast reunion.
    — Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of cried
Verb
  • Mayor Karen Bass had imposed a 45-day deadline for Lineage to clean everything up as neighbors complained of rotting smells, rodents and flies.
    — Julie Sharp, CBS News, 21 Aug. 2026
  • The inspection followed a hunger strike by detainees, who in a letter, complained about rotten or worm-infested food, medical neglect, and being coerced into signing deportation orders.
    — Vanessa Romo, NPR, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of complained
Verb
  • Afterward, Sanchez sobbed and Corbalan turned to the Sanchez family.
    — Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Also last week, court was paused several times as Clancy sobbed while witnesses from the medical examiner's office were on the stand.
    — Aaron Parseghian, CBS News, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of sobbed
Verb
  • Montes grabbed and threw two $10,000 candle holders to the ground, breaking them, and screamed at the congregation, according to prosecutors.
    — Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Police said the caller screamed and yelled while attempting to close the bathroom door.
    — Jeramie Bizzle, CBS News, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of screamed
Verb
  • Coach Arne Slot moaned about VAR but his problems lie much closer to home.
    — Phil Hay, New York Times, 4 May 2026
  • Critics moaned when the CFP committee picked the Hurricanes over Notre Dame as the last Power 4 entry into the playoffs.
    — Chris Hays, The Orlando Sentinel, 13 Jan. 2026
Definition of moaned
Verb
  • Post-Covid, Hollywood has whined about the falloff for MPA fare in Pan Asian territories, particularly the once-robust South Korea.
    — Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline, 28 July 2026
  • After a few casts, Rubye’s rod bent, and the reel whined as line spooled out.
    — John Todd, Outdoor Life, 9 July 2026
Definition of whined
Verb
  • This was 1872, and the pious (and patronizing) commentators of the time muttered that Damien’s unvarnished personality was due to his simple farm upbringing in rural Belgium.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 July 2026
  • Bat met ball and, under his breath, Astros manager Joe Espada muttered an expletive.
    — Chandler Rome, New York Times, 29 June 2026
Definition of muttered
Verb
  • Since then, Barkley has growled at several other people, and all but one have been diagnosed with some type of cancer, Dozier said.
    — Becca Savransky, Idaho Statesman, 11 Aug. 2026
  • At the other end of our road, the cranes of the docks loomed — great Stothert and Pitt machines that growled overhead like something out of Star Wars, guarding the scale and mystery of the River Thames.
    — Lee Clayton, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of growled

Browse Nearby Words

whimper
whimpered
whimpering
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Whimpered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whimpered. Accessed 24 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on whimpered

Nglish: Translation of whimpered for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 21

16 Glee-ridden Words from Schitt's Creek
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
alt-684346df967d5
Add A Letter Quiz Pick the letter that goes in the same spot in fou...
See All