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
Appeals court rules Trump can implement anti-DEI executive orders for now
In address about vision for DOJ, Trump complains about prior probes
In:
Joe Biden
Donald Trump
January 6
Melissa Quinn
Melissa Quinn is a politics reporter for CBSNews.com.
—
Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 17 Mar. 2025
Fix Problems Many of us like to complain about broken systems, inefficient processes, or other things that annoy us at work.
—Joseph Liu, Forbes, 17 Mar. 2025
Biden complained when the courts blocked his efforts to forgive student loan debt.
—Graham Underwood, arkansasonline.com, 17 Mar. 2025
Vance, who lectures U.S. allies about how to run their affairs, reminds us of every rich guy from suburban Pittsburgh who visits the Amalfi Coast in the summer, drives up the pedestrianized streets, and then complains that the pasta is too chewy and there’s no AC in his 15th-century villa.
—Helen Lewis, The Atlantic, 16 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for complain
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Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 17 Mar. 2025
Fix Problems Many of us like to complain about broken systems, inefficient processes, or other things that annoy us at work.
—Joseph Liu, Forbes, 17 Mar. 2025
Biden complained when the courts blocked his efforts to forgive student loan debt.
—Graham Underwood, arkansasonline.com, 17 Mar. 2025
Vance, who lectures U.S. allies about how to run their affairs, reminds us of every rich guy from suburban Pittsburgh who visits the Amalfi Coast in the summer, drives up the pedestrianized streets, and then complains that the pasta is too chewy and there’s no AC in his 15th-century villa.
—Helen Lewis, The Atlantic, 16 Mar. 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 23 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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