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
Verb
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
Jakob Rodgers,
Mercury News,
7 July 2026
Gal and Amora barely know each other, and Jaiden and Caleb have been complaining about one another for the past three days.
—
Kathleen Walsh,
Vulture,
6 July 2026
Of course, this being an electric motorcycle, the internet will inevitably complain.
—
New Atlas,
6 July 2026
Haaland complained to referee Anthony Taylor about Gabriel pulling him back, but got short shrift.
—
Jack Lang,
New York Times,
5 July 2026
See All Example Sentences for complain
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Verb
Two deputy district attorneys later complained that their then-boss, District Attorney Mark Peterson, killed the probe to protect Kramer.
—
Jakob Rodgers,
Mercury News,
7 July 2026
Gal and Amora barely know each other, and Jaiden and Caleb have been complaining about one another for the past three days.
—
Kathleen Walsh,
Vulture,
6 July 2026
Of course, this being an electric motorcycle, the internet will inevitably complain.
—
New Atlas,
6 July 2026
Haaland complained to referee Anthony Taylor about Gabriel pulling him back, but got short shrift.
—
Jack Lang,
New York Times,
5 July 2026
See All Example Sentences for complain
Cite this Entry
“Complain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/complain. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
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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