kvetch

1 of 2

verb

kvetched; kvetching; kvetches

intransitive verb

: to complain habitually : gripe
kvetcher noun

kvetch

2 of 2

noun

1
: a habitual complainer
2
kvetchy
ˈkve-chē How to pronounce kvetch (audio)
ˈkfe-
adjective

Examples of kvetch in a Sentence

Verb They're always kvetching about something. a chronically resentful person who seems to look for things to kvetch about Noun according to the kvetch on the bus tour, there was little about Europe that was satisfactory vainly hoped that his coworker would spare him another kvetch about being overworked
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Then in the final year of the decade, that changed, and a glut of anxious men arrived, kvetching, quipping and dating shiksas. Jason Zinoman, New York Times, 29 Feb. 2024 Edelman is struck — and perhaps a little soothed — by the amount of kvetching in the room. Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 13 Nov. 2023 This possibility is playfully examined against a background of kvetching woe. Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2023 Sometimes the best way to handle an annoyance, to truly get over it, is to kvetch about it. Kelcie Pegher, Los Angeles Times, 7 Sep. 2023 Starting out as funny quips posted on Facebook back in 2011, the concept ran all the way into the COVID-era, with the two friends sharing Guinness and kvetching over Zoom. oregonlive, 5 Sep. 2023 Residents’ kvetching about horns seemed to invoke discourse on disorderly behavior. Victoria Bekiempis, Vulture, 26 May 2023 The NIMBYs will kvetch about more than just music. Pete Wells, New York Times, 2 Nov. 2020 Given how people like to kvetch on social media, that side effect could very well seem like it’s occurring in a lot more than one out of 18 patients. Rachel Gutman, The Atlantic, 26 May 2022
Noun
While this might sound like a saucy kvetch mid strenuous workout, for many in his audience the reference was unmissable. Callahan Tormey, Town & Country, 8 May 2022 What's your favorite subject to kvetch about and why? Jessica Gelt, latimes.com, 4 May 2018 So this kvetch is more philosophical than any issue that could have cropped up had Carson Wentz stayed healthy or had Antonio Brown gone off last Sunday or if Russell Wilson’s Seahawks didn’t put together two clunkers in consecutive weeks. Jonathan Jones, SI.com, 21 Dec. 2017 MYSTERY SCIENCE LATE NIGHT (1982) Long before Beavis and Butthead or Mystery Science Theater 3000, Late Night with David Letterman presented a show from the perspective of a persistently and harshly critical kvetch from the back of the room. vanityfair.com, 10 Apr. 2017 MYSTERY SCIENCE LATE NIGHT (1982) Long before Beavis and Butthead or Mystery Science Theater 3000, Late Night with David Letterman presented a show from the perspective of a persistently and harshly critical kvetch from the back of the room. Vanityfair.com, VanityFair.com, 10 Apr. 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'kvetch.' 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

Verb

Yiddish kvetshn, literally, to squeeze, pinch, from Middle High German quetschen

First Known Use

Verb

circa 1950, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1957, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of kvetch was circa 1950

Dictionary Entries Near kvetch

Cite this Entry

“Kvetch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kvetch. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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