kvetch

1 of 2

verb

ˈkvech How to pronounce kvetch (audio) ˈkfech How to pronounce kvetch (audio)
kvetched; kvetching; kvetches
Synonyms of kvetch

intransitive verb

: to complain habitually : gripe
kvetcher noun

kvetch

2 of 2

noun

1
: a habitual complainer
2
: complaint sense 1
kvetchy
ˈkve-chē How to pronounce kvetch (audio)
ˈkfe-
adjective

Synonyms of kvetch

Relevance

Verb

Noun

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of kvetch in a Sentence

Verb They're always kvetching about something. a chronically resentful person who seems to look for things to kvetch about Noun according to the kvetch on the bus tour, there was little about Europe that was satisfactory vainly hoped that his coworker would spare him another kvetch about being overworked
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Verb
And who among us is above some occasional kvetching about the season? — Charlotte Collins, Architectural Digest, 5 Dec. 2025 As Gail’s literal timer ticks, Joel kvetches about how Ellie treats him like a stranger until Gail snaps about his boring parental issues. — Mary McNamara, Los Angeles Times, 7 Apr. 2025
Noun
Should homeowners get frustrated, though, there’s always Waters to call for a good kvetch. — The New York Times News Service Syndicate, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 July 2025 While this might sound like a saucy kvetch mid strenuous workout, for many in his audience the reference was unmissable. — Callahan Tormey, Town & Country, 8 May 2022 See All Example Sentences for kvetch

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Yiddish kvetshn, literally, to squeeze, pinch, from Middle High German quetschen

First Known Use

Verb

circa 1950, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1957, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of kvetch was circa 1950

Rhymes for kvetch

See All Rhymes for kvetch

Browse Nearby Words

kvell
kvetch
kvutzah
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Kvetch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kvetch. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All