complain

verb

com·​plain kəm-ˈplān How to pronounce complain (audio)
complained; complaining; complains

intransitive verb

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
complainingly adverb

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

Etymology

Middle English compleynen, from Anglo-French compleindre, from Vulgar Latin *complangere, from Latin com- + plangere to lament — more at plaint

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of complain was in the 14th century

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 How to pronounce complain (audio)
1
: to express grief, pain, or discontent : find fault
complaining about the weather
2
: to accuse someone of wrongdoing
complainer noun
complainingly adverb

Medical Definition

complain

intransitive verb
com·​plain kəm-ˈplān How to pronounce complain (audio)
: 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

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