WHINES Synonyms: 88 Similar and Opposite Words

whines 1 of 2

noun

plural of whine

as in moans

an expression of dissatisfaction, pain, or resentment the perennial whine that movies aren't as good as they used to be

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whines

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of whine

as in complains

to express dissatisfaction, pain, or resentment usually tiresomely for the whole of our vacation, the kids whined on and on about the weather

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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 whines

Verb

Jessie whines about the good old days all the time — how fun is that? — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 18 June 2026 Aronimink put the world’s best golfers in a vice this week and squeezed the whines right out of them. — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 18 May 2026 The caterer’s dead daughter, Marketa, is sung by Vilma Jää, an ethno-pop performer whose forays into Finnish folk techniques have her slinging her voice up into thrillingly high engine-whines. — Justin Davidson, Vulture, 7 Apr. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for whines

Noun

In the decades after his death, Johnson’s loose playing and harrowing moans set American music on a path that would encompass Chuck Berry, Bob Dylan, even Nas.

— Steven Johnson, Washington Post, 14 July 2026
Sweet tweets, soft moans, the distant caw of a shore bird piloting toward the sea, spirited and hopeful, daylight already breaking through.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 13 July 2026

Definition of moans

Verb

Adrian complains that McElwee, instead of making documentaries, should have followed the lucrative path of a Hollywood director, and even reproaches him for having turned down an offer to make a TV commercial.

— Richard Brody, New Yorker, 10 July 2026
If he had been forced to stick with readily available materials, Rashid complains, the deck behind the house would have been green or brown.

— Dean Kaufman, Curbed, 30 June 2026

Definition of complains

Noun

Customers were irate and expressed outrage by filing complaints with the Federal Communications Commission and a class action lawsuit.

— Jon Brodkin, ArsTechnica, 16 July 2026
Those records showed that several current and former Saint Alphonsus healthcare professionals who worked alongside Shapiro raised concerns and filed complaints about the surgeon’s abilities and his impacts on patient safety over the course of years.

— Nicole Blanchard, Idaho Statesman, 16 July 2026

Definition of complaints

Verb

In footage shared on TikTok, the 50 First Dates star is seen asking Rapp about her then-upcoming album, Snow Angel, when an audience member suddenly screams Barrymore’s name.

— Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 17 July 2026
The audience’s screams and applause for Knight and Keller lasted nearly 28 seconds.

— Candace Buckner, New York Times, 16 July 2026

Definition of screams

Noun

Warnings, laments, and odes to renewal were expressed pictorially as dying days under bleeding heavens, belching volcanoes, proud icebergs, lavish rainbows amid spangling, mist-suffusing sunlight and dawns of peace and hope.

— Sebastian Smee, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
The sinew between Thundercat and Tame Impala is thick and obvious—one reason that Bruner doesn’t need ubiquitous Kevin Parker’s lethargic laments.

— Daniel Felsenthal, Pitchfork, 7 Apr. 2026

Definition of laments

Noun

At the hospital in Dollow, mothers sat shoulder to shoulder on narrow beds holding frail children, some too weak to cry while others let out soft whimpers.

— ABC News, ABC News, 27 Mar. 2026
Earlier this month, a Gardena police officer responded to a report that there were whimpers and cries coming from a self-compacting trash can outside a church.

— Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 1 Jan. 2026

Definition of whimpers

Noun

Freedom of speech, freedom of assembly and the right to petition government to address grievances.

— Letters to the Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 July 2026
Prime-time addresses that spew grievances and obvious falsehoods may drive voters even further away from the GOP.

— David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 17 July 2026

Definition of grievances

Noun

His 2025 tape, WOMB, embodied this through his pensive grumbles over wispy vocal chops; each bar that cut through the fog was steeped in sober gravitas.

— Olivier Lafontant, Pitchfork, 27 Apr. 2026
Beyond the pedestrianized streets and bike lanes, the familiar cacophony of drivers honking their frustration is, if anything, louder than ever — as are the grumbles from those who rely on buses now snarled in endless jams.

— Lisa Courbebaisse, CNN Money, 21 Mar. 2026

Definition of grumbles

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whiners

whines

whinge

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“Whines.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whines. Accessed 20 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of whines

noun

verb

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