complain

English

Etymology

From Middle English complaynen, from Old French complaindre, from Medieval Latin complangere (“to bewail, complain”), from Latin com- (“together”) + plangere (“to strike, beat, as the breast in extreme grief, bewail”); see plain, plaint.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kəmˈpleɪn/

• Audio (US)

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• Rhymes: -eɪn

Verb

complain (third-person singular simple present complains, present participle complaining, simple past and past participle complained)

1. (intransitive) To express feelings of pain, dissatisfaction, or resentment.

   Joe was always complaining about the noise made by his neighbours.

   • 1671, John Milton, “Samson Agonistes, .”, in Paradise Regain’d. A Poem. In IV Books. To which is Added, Samson Agonistes, London: J. M for John Starkey , →OCLC, page 12, line 67:

     O loſs of ſight, of thee I moſt complain!

2. (intransitive) To make a formal accusation or bring a formal charge.

   They've complained about me to the police again.

   • c. 1597 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merry Wiues of Windsor”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies  (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, :

     Now, Master Shallow, you'll complain of me to the king?

   • 1997, George Carlin, Brain Droppings‎, New York: Hyperion Books, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, →OL, page 85:

     If you get cheated by the Better Business Bureau, who do you complain to?

3. To creak or squeak, as a timber or wheel.

   the complaining bed-springs

Synonyms

• (to express displeasure with): See Thesaurus:complain

Derived terms

Translations

Further reading

• “complain”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “complain”, in The Century Dictionary , New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.

Anagrams

• amplicon