complain
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
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
Verb
complain (third-person singular simple present complains, present participle complaining, simple past and past participle complained)
- (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[ohn] M[acock] for John Starkey […], →OCLC, page 12, line 67:
- O loſs of ſight, of thee I moſt complain!
- (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[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene i]:
- 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?
- To creak or squeak, as a timber or wheel.
- the complaining bed-springs
Synonyms
- (to express displeasure with): See Thesaurus:complain
Derived terms
Translations
to express feelings of pain, dissatisfaction, or resentment
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to make a formal accusation or bring a formal charge
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked
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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
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