whimpering 1 of 3

adjective

as in crying

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whimpering

2 of 3

noun

as in weeping

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whimpering

3 of 3

verb

present participle of whimper
1
as in sobbing
to utter feeble plaintive cries the dog whimpered to be let in

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

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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 whimpering
Adjective
Multiple responders then grasped the canine by the neck and back to lift it onboard, during which the dog could be heard slightly whimpering. — Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 28 Jan. 2026 Only this version of Slattery is a whimpering scaredy-cat, who unleashes the beast within at a key moment in the film. — Brent Lang, Variety, 28 Jan. 2026
Noun
The filing also alleges Pike suggested where staff should try inserting the IV, one needle was bent at a 90-degree angle when it was removed, and she could be heard crying, whimpering and breathing loudly throughout the procedure. — Greg Wehner , Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2026 Scarface doesn’t just bark orders at his underlings but browbeats the whimpering Ventriloquist, giving him that warped double personality that made older characters like Two-Face so alluring. — Daniel Dockery, Vulture, 24 Aug. 2026 When this happens, the family finds Cassidy breathing heavily and whimpering. — Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Aug. 2026 After the particularly disturbing Game 3 loss, when the Avs lost for only the second time in 76 playoff games when leading by three goals, Colorado resorted to whimpering. — Troy Renck, Denver Post, 27 May 2026 How to Watch North Carolina at Syracuse Bill Belichick’s first season as North Carolina head coach is winding to a whimpering close, but an ACC win over Syracuse under the Friday Night Lights would sure turn some frowns upside down at Chapel Hill. — Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025
Verb
That admission led to gasps and whimpering by several courtroom observers. — Nick Ferraro, Twin Cities, 11 June 2026 As the timer passed seven minutes, Steve Eckert exhorted a whimpering young man to dunk his head underwater. — Charles Bethea, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026 In a large tent, veterinarians and volunteers work together to place an IV into the leg of a small, whimpering puppy. — Tavleen Tarrant, NBC news, 28 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whimpering
  1. crying
  2. weeping
  3. sobbing
  4. complaining
  5. wailing
  6. whining
  7. moaning
  8. screaming
Adjective
  • Some in the pro-crying camp pointed to articles and headlines as proof.
    — Jon Sarlin, CNN Money, 11 July 2026
Definition of crying
Noun
  • Cue the lovelorn weeping in the rain set to composer Roger Goula’s supple string score, and before us, a sweeping love epic bursts alive with real pain.
    — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Body camera footage showed Flynn weeping, covering his face, and rocking back and forth as police searched his home.
    — Nicki Brown, CNN Money, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of weeping
Verb
  • Police believe she was knocked to the ground and could be heard gasping for breath and sobbing before the video ended, the warrant affidavit said.
    — Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Zheng clinched with her first match point chance, serving an ace to Andreeva’s backhand side, then fell to the court sobbing with emotion.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of sobbing
Verb
  • By July, morale among immigration officers had dipped below its nadir during the Biden Administration, with agents now complaining of being overextended, inundated with novice recruits, and undermined by inflammatory rhetoric from on high.
    — Francisco Cantú, New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Some 35,000 plaintiffs were compensated after complaining of personal injury and property damage to their homes.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of complaining
Adjective
  • Sitting opposite an old people’s home in a residential corner of Paris’ 14th arrondissement, La Santé’s unassuming presence is only given away by the occasional wailing siren as prisoners are transported to and from the site.
    — Joseph Ataman, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2025
Definition of wailing
Noun
  • At low speeds through the town of Imola and villages beyond it, the most prominent sound is the whining of the rear differential.
    — Tim Pitt, Robb Report, 18 May 2026
  • That broader perspective may explain why Hamlin’s criticisms rarely sound like post-race whining.
    — Greg Engle, Forbes.com, 17 May 2026
Definition of whining
Verb
  • It's been a big few months for Austin Abrams moaning and groaning his way through some of the worst situations imaginable.
    — Megan McCluskey, Time, 16 Oct. 2026
  • 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
Definition of moaning
Verb
  • Young and the Panthers couldn’t capitalize on the iconic opportunity, though, and ultimately fell to the screaming green-and-gold parishioners, 27-19.
    — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Still, the very idea of such a thing freezes my brain, locking it into a mental feedback loop that’s the equivalent of running around in a tight circle flapping my arms wildly and screaming.
    — Phil Plait, Scientific American, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of screaming

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Cite this Entry

“Whimpering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whimpering. Accessed 4 Nov. 2026.

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