complain

verb

com·​plain kəm-ˈplān 

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

kəm-ˈplā-niŋ-lē 

adverb

Synonyms of complain

• scream
• whine
• moan
• grumble
• mutter
• worry

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

Meanwhile top women’s seed Aryna Sabalenka complained when the smell of marijuana wafted from crowd to court. — Greg Cote september 6, Miami Herald, 6 Sep. 2026

But across San Ángel, anger was palpable, with many complaining about the government’s inaction. — Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2026

At community-board hearings, neighbors complained that the tower would be too tall and block too much light. — Antonia Hitchens, New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2026

Police used pepper spray to disperse the crowd, and a few students complained of being affected by the pepper spray and were being treated and observed by the school's nursing staff, Rike wrote. — Arkansas Online, 4 Sep. 2026

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

Phrases Containing complain

• can't complain

Rhymes for complain

• abstain
• airplane
• alkane
• arcane
• arraign
• attain
• backplane
• betaine
• biplane
• blockchain
• butane
• campaign

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

complainingly

-ˈplā-niŋ-lē 

adverb

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