complain
Americanverb (used without object)
-
complains,
present (3rd person singular)
-
complained,
past participle, past
-
complaining
present participle
-
to express dissatisfaction, pain, uneasiness, censure, resentment, or grief; find fault.
He complained constantly about the noise in the corridor.
- Antonyms:
- rejoice
-
to tell of one's pains, ailments, etc..
to complain of a backache.
-
to make a formal accusation.
If you think you've been swindled, complain to the police.
verb
-
to express resentment, displeasure, etc, esp habitually; grumble
-
(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
-
complainernoun
-
complainableadjective
-
uncomplainedadjective
-
uncomplainingadjective
-
complaininglyadverb
-
uncomplaininglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
complainsimple
-
complainssimple
-
have complainedperfect
-
has complainedperfect
-
am complainingprogressive
-
are complainingprogressive
-
is complainingprogressive
-
have been complainingperfect progressive
-
has been complainingperfect progressive
Past
-
complainedsimple
-
had complainedperfect
-
was complainingprogressive
-
were complainingprogressive
-
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Shiloh
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Sarah, Plain and Tall
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
Indeed, your avian visitors may complain if you give them fewer tasty treats or stop feeding them altogether.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 24, 2026
They complain that she frequently canceled meetings and allowed hundreds of motions to pile up without getting moved through council.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2026
Should they complain to the White House press secretary?
From Slate ● Aug. 18, 2026
But how do you deal with co-workers who constantly complain about relatively minor things and manage to make every meeting miserable?
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026
And without any family to complain, who could have stopped her?
From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman
China’s Xi Jinping complains that AI should be “a symphony of international cooperation.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 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
Now I cringe as she bricks the trey and immediately complains to the officials, spreading her arms, shaking her head, screaming in their face.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 7, 2026
Joon complains all morning about missing stuff with his friends, but he’s ready when Uncle Tim comes by to pick us up for work.
From "A Step from Heaven" by An Na
Every user I knew complained it was inconsistent, illogical, cluttered, had clunky navigation and ignored accessibility standards.
From Salon ● Aug. 24, 2026
After a game against the Colorado Rockies last week, he complained of a neck problem and was placed on the injured list.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2026
He said he felt "fobbed off" when he complained to the cruise director.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
After she complained on social media, Blue Apron gave her a refund, she said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
That left Traveler, but I’d complained to him last night and it was too soon to do it again.
From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows
Sources have told BBC Sport Sarr has not trained for the last two days, complaining of a groin issue, amid interest from Turkish side Galatasaray.
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026
But the phenomenon of men complaining more while doing less is not new.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 19, 2026
Stephen A. Smith added more fuel to the firestorm centered on his clash with a Black journalist organization critical of his comments about Black female politicians by complaining to Fox News about the group.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
They are among those complaining that the city is putting the onus on them to prove they shouldn’t have to pay the second-home surcharge.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 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.
