complain
Americanverb (used without object)
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complains,
present (3rd person singular)
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complained,
past participle, past
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complaining
present participle
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to express dissatisfaction, pain, uneasiness, censure, resentment, or grief; find fault.
He complained constantly about the noise in the corridor.
- Antonyms:
- rejoice
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to tell of one's pains, ailments, etc..
to complain of a backache.
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to make a formal accusation.
If you think you've been swindled, complain to the police.
verb
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to express resentment, displeasure, etc, esp habitually; grumble
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(foll by of) to state the presence of pain, illness, etc, esp in the hope of sympathy
she complained of a headache
Synonym Usage
Complain, grumble, growl, whine are terms for expressing dissatisfaction or discomfort. To complain is to protest against or lament a wrong: to complain about high prices. To grumble is to utter ill-natured complaints half to oneself: to grumble about the service. Growl may express more anger than grumble : to growl in reply to a question. To whine is to complain in a meanspirited way, using a nasal tone: to whine like a coward, like a spoiled child.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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complainernoun
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complainableadjective
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uncomplainedadjective
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uncomplainingadjective
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complaininglyadverb
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uncomplaininglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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complainsimple
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complainssimple
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have complainedperfect
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has complainedperfect
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am complainingprogressive
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are complainingprogressive
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is complainingprogressive
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have been complainingperfect progressive
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has been complainingperfect progressive
Past
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complainedsimple
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had complainedperfect
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was complainingprogressive
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were complainingprogressive
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had been complainingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of complain
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English compleinen, from Anglo-French compleign-, stem of compleindre, Old French complaindre, from Vulgar Latin complangere (unrecorded), from Latin com- com- + plangere “to beat, lament, strike”; see plaint
Explanation
To complain is to express your unhappiness about something. You might complain to your landlord about a raise in your rent, or to the cops about your noisy neighbors. Just don't whine; it won't get you anywhere. Speakers of Yiddish will know that complain is often interchangeable with kvetch, which is what you do when you don't like the food or the small portions. But you can complain in a more formal way by, say, writing a letter or even filing a lawsuit. But whether the issue is large or small, do yourself a favor and don't complain too often, or people might stop taking you seriously.
Vocabulary lists containing complain
"The Railway Train" by Emily Dickinson
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Shiloh
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Sarah, Plain and Tall
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Some Christians complain that excessive security restrictions interfere with their right to worship and send the message that they aren’t welcome.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026
MLB fans like to complain the Dodgers are ruining baseball, but many other teams could have met the price the Dodgers paid to acquire Tarik Skubal.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 2, 2026
But families complain about the cost of living and the fiscal deficit is worsening.
From Barron's ● Aug. 2, 2026
Secret recording has also taken place by individuals - including Margerison - at various Comic Con cosplay events, prompting attendees to complain of invasion of privacy, harassment and "body shaming".
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
As they waited for an answer, they continued to complain and pick fights with each other.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
He complains that lower-income Americans struggle to access doctors.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026
The agreement comes as Panama complains its boats are suffering tighter controls in China, following the cancellation of a Hong Kong company's concession to operate two ports in the Panama Canal.
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
When Joe complains and threatens to bring up the noise, Angela all but begs him to put on a smile and let it go, just for this one night.
From Salon ● Jul. 5, 2026
As resuscitation efforts continue, Digwa complains about the flashing emergency vehicle lights, asking the male officer questioning him to "turn the flashes off".
From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2026
I like it because the drama teacher never complains about my overbusy imagination.
From "Invisible Inkling" by Emily Jenkins
They also complained about the limited pool of prospects, as many services are still ramping up.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
Carlitos Ricardo Parias had long complained to his family about the quality of drinking water at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2026
California’s attorney general has found no evidence that any woman has complained of harm by the defendants.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
One firefighter from the Bordeaux suburb of Merignac complained of the confusing orders handed down by his higher-ups.
From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026
Whenever Anya complained about something, Babulya would inevitably swoop in with the story of her journey to Zmeyreka so many years ago.
From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack
"If it's 35 degrees outside, it's over 40 degrees inside," said the 65-year-old, complaining that ageing residents were being afflicted with increasing headaches.
From Barron's ● Aug. 4, 2026
On July 26, 2020, the diary records Mr. Tapper complaining to Dr. Fauci about an angry social-media post the President had directed at the journalist.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
“Here I am complaining about the robots, but I’m not doing the human part of it as much as I need to be,” she said.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 2026
He called the emergency services at 17:55, complaining that he was struggling to breathe and felt like he was going to collapse.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
“Will you stop complaining if we play Giggle Girlzies with you while we wait?”
From "A Monster of a Mystery (The Hardy Boys: Secret Files, #5)" by Franklin W. Dixon
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
