gripe

[ grahyp ]

verb (used without object)

, griped, grip·ing.

1. Informal. to complain naggingly or constantly; grumble.

   Synonyms: bellyache, rail, carp, mutter, whine

2. to suffer pain in the bowels.
3. Nautical. (of a sailing vessel) to tend to come into the wind; to be ardent.

verb (used with object)

, griped, grip·ing.

1. Informal. to annoy or irritate:

   His tone of voice gripes me.

2. to produce pain in (the bowels) as if by constriction.
3. to distress, afflict, or oppress:

   poverty that gripes and pinches us.

4. Nautical. to secure (a lifeboat) to a deck or against a pudding boom on davits.
5. Archaic.
   1. to seize and hold firmly with the hand, claws, etc.; grasp; clutch.
   2. to greedily take possession of and hold tightly:

      The miser gripes his money for fear of losing it.

noun

1. Informal. a nagging complaint.
2. Usually gripes. Pathology. an intermittent spasmodic pain in the bowels.
3. something that grips or clutches; a claw or grip.
4. Nautical.
   1. a lashing or chain by which a boat is secured to a deck or in position on davits.
   2. Also called gripe piece. a curved timber connecting the stem or cutwater of a wooden hull with the keel.
   3. the exterior angle or curve formed by this piece; forefoot.
   4. the forward end of the dished keel of a metal hull.
5. Archaic.
   1. the act of gripping, grasping, or clutching.
   2. a firm hold; clutch.
   3. mastery; hold; control.
6. Rare. a handle, hilt, etc.

gripe

/ ɡraɪp /

verb

1. informal.
   intr to complain, esp in a persistent nagging manner
2. to cause sudden intense pain in the intestines of (a person) or (of a person) to experience this pain
3. intr nautical (of a ship) to tend to come up into the wind in spite of the helm
4. archaic.
   to clutch; grasp
5. archaic.
   tr to afflict

noun

1. usually plural a sudden intense pain in the intestines; colic
2. informal.
   a complaint or grievance
3. rare.
   1. the act of gripping
   2. a firm grip
   3. a device that grips
4. in plural nautical the lashings that secure a boat

Derived Forms

• ˈgriper, noun
• ˈgripingly, adverb

Other Words From

• grip·er noun
• gripe·ful adjective
• grip·ing·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of gripe¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English gripen, Old English grīpan; cognate with Dutch grijpen, German griefen; grip, grope

Word History and Origins

Origin of gripe¹

Old English grīpan; related to Gothic greipan, Old High German grīfan to seize, Lithuanian greibiu

Related Words

• carp
• grumble
• moan
• murmur
• mutter
• nag
• squawk