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
Patterson complained about her in-laws behind their backs Erin and Simon Patterson got married in 2007 and, after splitting and reconciling multiple times over the years, separated permanently in 2015.
—
Rachel Treisman, NPR, 7 June 2025
Occasionally, drivers call the CHP to complain — especially during rush hour.
—Tina Li, Sacbee.com, 7 June 2025
Trump complained Friday that other major central banks have lowered their rates while the Fed has stood pat.
—Kevin Breuninger,jeff Cox, CNBC, 6 June 2025
Self-tapes became a rallying cry around the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike as actors complained about being responsible for lighting and editing and finding their own scene partners.
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 6 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for complain
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Rachel Treisman, NPR, 7 June 2025
Occasionally, drivers call the CHP to complain — especially during rush hour.
—Tina Li, Sacbee.com, 7 June 2025
Trump complained Friday that other major central banks have lowered their rates while the Fed has stood pat.
—Kevin Breuninger,jeff Cox, CNBC, 6 June 2025
Self-tapes became a rallying cry around the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike as actors complained about being responsible for lighting and editing and finding their own scene partners.
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 6 June 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 12 Jun. 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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