-
- To save this word, you'll need to log in.
Examples of plaint in a Sentence
the day after the massacre the plaints of bereaved mothers and wives could be heard throughout the village
that taxes are too high is perhaps the most perennial of plaints
Recent Examples on the Web
This wry, lovelorn plaint is a cagey display of subtle dynamics and counterpoint on a lone electric guitar.
—Jon Pareles, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2025
And to be perfectly fair, the New Deal had seven or eight big years of operation (the plaints about the Supreme Court etc. blocking reforms being so many excuses).
—Brian Domitrovic, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2024
Goldberger's plaint is overstated.
—Michelle Goldberg, Star Tribune, 8 June 2021
The finished song is desolate but resilient, a hell of a plaint.
—Lindsay Zoladz, New York Times, 7 Dec. 2022
Somewhere between folk-rock plaint and short story, Margo Price sings about a pregnant woman at a clinic, with a hard-luck past and a tough decision to make.
—Lindsay Zoladz, New York Times, 7 Dec. 2022
The company said the decision to close came after the plaint failed to secure any capacity revenues in the latest auction held in May by the grid operator, PJM.
—Chris Mayhew, The Enquirer, 22 July 2021
These points are not the most cynical aspect of McConnell’s plaint, however.
—Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2020
Among other things, this culture war plaint was a brazen gambit for a rich kid whose start-to-finish private education cost $500,000.
—Alexander Zaitchik, The New Republic, 25 July 2019
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Word History
Etymology
Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin planctus, from plangere to strike, beat one's breast, lament; akin to Old High German fluokhōn to curse, Greek plēssein to strike
First Known Use
13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of plaint was
in the 13th century
Dictionary Entries Near plaint
Cite this Entry
“Plaint.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plaint. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.
Kids Definition
plaint
noun1
: a crying out : wail
2
More from Merriam-Webster on plaint
Britannica English: Translation of plaint for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about plaint
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share