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:
Uber passengers complain about an overload of air fresheners during their rides, but drivers say it beats the smells coming from the back seat.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
A seaglass chandelier sourced on a trip to Bali once drove a neighbor to complain.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
Despite bigger military budgets, younger defence firms still complain not enough is going towards autonomous systems compared to old-fashioned weaponry, like tanks, that is vulnerable to attack from cheaper drones.
From Barron's ● Sep. 1, 2026
Customers swiftly noticed and took to social media to complain.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026
“First time I ever heard a boy complain about that! We’ll see what we can do!”
From "Carry On, Mr. Bowditch" by Jean Lee Latham
“I had a whole career of reveille,” the man complains.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
She is in her late 70s and complains of nagging aches and pains, neuropathy, fatigue, anxiety, and occasional changes in her weight.
From Slate ● Sep. 9, 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
My cousin complains it’s robbery and says she isn’t a fool.
From "Amina's Song" by Hena Khan
Officials briefly looked at an incident with two laps to go when he cut a chicane while fighting to stay ahead of Norris, who complained Verstappen should give the place up.
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026
Customers complained the line from the Ayn Rand book “Atlas Shrugged,” which promotes self-interest, was contradictory to the inclusive teachings of yoga.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026
County announced Monday that it had filed a lawsuit against State Farm General after hundreds of victims of last year’s devastating wildfires complained that their policy claims had been delayed, denied or underpaid.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026
He complained that the migration debate was too focused on criminality and not what "immigrants had contributed to society".
From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 2026
The Babushkawoos fussed and complained, and Boris went so far as yelling, “Art is dumb,” whereupon Penelope gave him a look that could have thawed Siberia.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
"I was speaking to at least a hundred followers every day, and most of them were complaining about the paper leak. There was this core frustration around it," he said.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
“He keeps complaining about these health concerns and the facility doesn’t care.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
Not that I’m complaining about our year-round release carousel — I mean, look over your shoulder at this summertime’s TV bounty.
From Salon ● Sep. 4, 2026
They’re complaining on Reddit and store sites, and signing petitions to bring back the old recipe.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
I ask, noticing she hasn’t said anything since complaining about the smell.
From "A Soft Place to Land" by Janae Marks
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.
