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
For nothing is more European, at least in today’s Europe, than being bullied by Russia while complaining about the United States.
—
Dominic Green, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 21 Feb. 2025
Meanwhile, in China's increasingly insular online environment, Chinese nationalists are openly complaining about the 19th century loss of territory in what is now Russia's Far East.
—Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 21 Feb. 2025
And no one can seem to stop complaining about it—lowering egg prices was even a primary talking point in Trump’s run for the presidency.
—Zoya Hasan, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2025
Developers themselves have complained that their companies are not doing enough to weed out harassment online.
—Megan Farokhmanesh, WIRED, 21 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for complain
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Dominic Green, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 21 Feb. 2025
Meanwhile, in China's increasingly insular online environment, Chinese nationalists are openly complaining about the 19th century loss of territory in what is now Russia's Far East.
—Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 21 Feb. 2025
And no one can seem to stop complaining about it—lowering egg prices was even a primary talking point in Trump’s run for the presidency.
—Zoya Hasan, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2025
Developers themselves have complained that their companies are not doing enough to weed out harassment online.
—Megan Farokhmanesh, WIRED, 21 Feb. 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 1 Mar. 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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