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
The sign was used to complain about that.
—
Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 10 Jan. 2026
However, Reece said that his mother began to complain of a headache and dizziness, prompting her to sit down and rest later in the day.
—Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 10 Jan. 2026
Down the road at Manchester City, Pep Guardiola used to complain his club didn’t have enough of it to call upon, particularly on European nights when United and Real Madrid could reach back into the past for belief.
—James Horncastle, New York Times, 10 Jan. 2026
As 6-7 went viral, teachers complained that random outbursts by their students were interrupting their lessons.
—Rebekah Willett, Fortune, 9 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for complain
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Cite this Entry
“Complain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/complain. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
Kids 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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