complained; complaining; complains
1
: to express grief, pain, or discontent
complaining about the weather
2
: to make a formal accusation or charge
He threatened to complain of him to the captain.
complainer
noun
Examples of complain in a Sentence
He works hard but he never complains.
If you're unhappy with the service, you should complain to the manager.
The students complained that the test was too hard.
“These shoes are too tight,” he complained.
Recent Examples on the Web
Pundits complained last year’s Cannes was a light affair, but that had to do with the bottleneck created by the strikes, for one.
—
Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 10 Apr. 2025
The new plan arrives after many existing Claude subscribers complained of hitting rate limits frequently.
—ArsTechnica, 9 Apr. 2025
Ranchers complain about predation on their herds and city dwellers fear having wolves living too close for comfort.
—Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 9 Apr. 2025
While speaking at a dinner hosted by the National Republican Congressional Committee on Tuesday, Trump complained over how the U.S. doesn’t manufacturer its own pharmaceuticals stating that tariffs on these products would be forthcoming.
—Joseph Choi, The Hill, 9 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for complain
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Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 10 Apr. 2025
The new plan arrives after many existing Claude subscribers complained of hitting rate limits frequently.
—ArsTechnica, 9 Apr. 2025
Ranchers complain about predation on their herds and city dwellers fear having wolves living too close for comfort.
—Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 9 Apr. 2025
While speaking at a dinner hosted by the National Republican Congressional Committee on Tuesday, Trump complained over how the U.S. doesn’t manufacturer its own pharmaceuticals stating that tariffs on these products would be forthcoming.
—Joseph Choi, The Hill, 9 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for complain
Cite this Entry
“Complain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/complain. Accessed 13 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
complain
verb
com·plain
kəm-ˈplān 
1
: to express grief, pain, or discontent : find fault
complaining about the weather
2
: to accuse someone of wrongdoing
complainer
noun
Medical Definition
complain
intransitive verb
com·plain
kəm-ˈplān
: to speak of one's illness or symptoms
the patient visited the office complaining of weight loss
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