complained; complaining; complains
1
: to express grief, pain, or discontent
complaining about the weather
2
: to make a formal accusation or charge
He threatened to complain of him to the captain.
complainer
noun
Synonyms
Examples of complain in a Sentence
He works hard but he never complains.
If you're unhappy with the service, you should complain to the manager.
The students complained that the test was too hard.
“These shoes are too tight,” he complained.
Recent Examples on the Web
The pharmacy industry has complained that PBMs have too much control and can squeeze pharmacies.
—Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN, 16 Oct. 2024
When Oscar complains about being metooïsé, Rebecca puts him firmly in his place.
—Anahid Nersessian, The New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2024
European allies are providing more assistance to Ukraine than the U.S. is, but Americans who complain the EU isn’t doing more to help Ukraine should look no further than to Budapest’s efforts to block additional EU assistance for the answer.
—Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 16 Oct. 2024
This time around, however, many users were complaining that the cleaner wouldn’t remove the files, potentially swallowing a significant chunk of their available storage with junk files.
—Barry Collins, Forbes, 15 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for complain
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'complain.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Phrases Containing complain
Dictionary Entries Near complain
Cite this Entry
“Complain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/complain. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.
Kids Definition
complain
verb
com·plain
kəm-ˈplān
1
: to express grief, pain, or discontent : find fault
complaining about the weather
2
: to accuse someone of wrongdoing
complainer
noun
Medical Definition
complain
intransitive verb
com·plain
kəm-ˈplān
: to speak of one's illness or symptoms
the patient visited the office complaining of weight loss
Legal Definition
complain
intransitive verb
com·plain
: to make a complaint
More from Merriam-Webster on complain
Nglish: Translation of complain for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of complain for Arabic Speakers
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