Complain Verb - Definition, Pictures, Pronunciation And Usage Notes

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Definition of complain verb from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

complain verb   /kəmˈpleɪn/  /kəmˈpleɪn/[intransitive, transitive]Verb Forms
present simple I / you / we / they complain  /kəmˈpleɪn/  /kəmˈpleɪn/
he / she / it complains  /kəmˈpleɪnz/  /kəmˈpleɪnz/
past simple complained  /kəmˈpleɪnd/  /kəmˈpleɪnd/
past participle complained  /kəmˈpleɪnd/  /kəmˈpleɪnd/
-ing form complaining  /kəmˈpleɪnɪŋ/  /kəmˈpleɪnɪŋ/
Phrasal Verbs jump to other results
  1. to say that you are annoyed, unhappy or not satisfied about somebody/something
    • She never complains, but she's obviously exhausted.
    • (informal) ‘How are you?’ ‘Oh, I can't complain (= I'm all right).’
    • complain to somebody Annoyed residents have complained to the police.
    • complain about something Shoppers complained about the lack of toilet facilities.
    • complain to somebody about something I'm going to complain to the manager about this.
    • complain of something The defendant complained of intimidation during the investigation.
    • complain at something She complained at the unfairness of it all.
    • complain (that)… He complained bitterly that he had been unfairly treated.
    • + speech ‘It's not fair,’ she complained.
    Synonyms complaincomplainprotest object grumble moan whineThese words all mean to say that you are annoyed, unhappy or not satisfied about somebody/​something.complain to say that you are annoyed, unhappy or not satisfied about somebody/​something:
    • I’m going to complain to the manager about this.
    protest to say or do something to show that you disagree with something or think it is bad, especially publicly; to give something as a reason for protesting:
    • Students took to the streets to protest against the decision.
    object to say that you disagree with something or think it is bad; to give something as a reason for objecting:
    • If nobody objects, we’ll postpone the meeting till next week.
    • He objected that the police had arrested him without sufficient evidence.
    grumble (rather informal, disapproving) to complain about somebody/​something, especially something that is not really very serious:
    • They kept grumbling that they were cold.
    moan (British English, rather informal, disapproving) to complain about somebody/​something in an annoying way:
    • What are you moaning about now?
    whine (rather informal, disapproving) to complain in an annoying, crying voice:
    • Stop whining!
    • ‘I want to go home,’ whined Toby.
    Whine is often used to talk about the way that young children complain.
    Patterns
    • to complain/​protest/​grumble/​moan/​whine about something
    • to complain/​protest/​grumble/​moan at something
    • to complain/​protest/​object/​grumble/​moan/​whine to somebody
    • to complain/​protest/​object/​grumble/​moan/​whine that…
    Extra Examples
    • All the guests complained about the noise.
    • He really has no right to complain.
    • I'm going to complain to the authorities about this!
    • It was entirely my own idea, so I can hardly complain.
    • She complained bitterly about the lack of help she received.
    Topics Feelingsa2Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
    • bitterly
    • loudly
    • constantly
    verb + complain
    • cannot
    • can hardly
    • have cause to
    preposition
    • about
    • at
    • to
    See full entry
    Word Originlate Middle English: from Old French complaindre, from medieval Latin complangere ‘bewail’, from Latin com- (expressing intensive force) + plangere ‘to lament’.
Phrasal Verbs
  • complain of
See complain in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee complain in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic EnglishCheck pronunciation: complain

Other results

All matches
  • complain of
  • complain of something
Phrasal verbs
  • complain of something

Nearby words

  • complacent adjective
  • complacently adverb
  • complain verb
  • complainant noun
  • complain of phrasal verb
bungle verb From the Topic Difficulty and failure C2 Oxford Learner's Dictionaries Word of the Day

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