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
Synonyms
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
In one call, a soldier complained that there were not enough translators.
—
Nicole Fallert, USA TODAY, 30 Oct. 2024
Meanwhile, some people even complained that the drinks triggered painful stomach issues.
—Jordan Valinsky, CNN, 29 Oct. 2024
This summer, baseball fans complained as the Yankees aired on nine different stations during the regular season.
—Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 29 Oct. 2024
The opposition complained of at least 160 electoral violations in the lead up to the vote, with more reports of abuses on polling day.
—David Brennan, ABC News, 28 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for complain 
Nicole Fallert, USA TODAY, 30 Oct. 2024
Meanwhile, some people even complained that the drinks triggered painful stomach issues.
—Jordan Valinsky, CNN, 29 Oct. 2024
This summer, baseball fans complained as the Yankees aired on nine different stations during the regular season.
—Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 29 Oct. 2024
The opposition complained of at least 160 electoral violations in the lead up to the vote, with more reports of abuses on polling day.
—David Brennan, ABC News, 28 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for complain
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'complain.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near complain
Cite this Entry
“Complain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/complain. Accessed 2 Nov. 2024.
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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