complain
Definitions
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WordNet 3.6
- v complain make a formal accusation; bring a formal charge "The plaintiff's lawyer complained that he defendant had physically abused his client"
- v complain express complaints, discontent, displeasure, or unhappiness "My mother complains all day","She has a lot to kick about"
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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
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Interesting fact: Michelangelo's Last Judgment, which hangs on the walls of the Sistine Chapel, drew some harsh criticism from one of the Vatican's officials because of the nudity. So Michelangelo made some changes to his work: he painted in the face of the complaining clergyman and added a donkey's ears and a snake's tail.
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- Complain To give utterance to expression of grief, pain, censure, regret. etc.; to lament; to murmur; to find fault; -- commonly used with of. Also, to creak or squeak, as a timber or wheel. "O loss of sight, of thee I most complain !"
- v. t Complain To lament; to bewail. "They might the grievance inwardly complain .""By chaste Lucrece's soul that late complain'd Her wrongs to us."
- Complain To make a formal accusation; to make a charge. "Now, Master Shallow, you'll complain of me to the king?"
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Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
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Interesting fact: Potato chips were invented in Saratoga Springs in 1853 by chef George Crum. They were a mocking response to a patron who complained that his French fries were too thick.
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- complain To utter expressions of grief, pain, uneasiness, censure, resentment, or dissatisfaction; lament or murmur about anything; find fault.
- complain Figuratively, to make a sound resembling that of lamentation or suffering; emit a mournful sound or noise: as, the complaining wind; the sea complains dismally.
- complain To utter an expression of discomfort or sorrow from some cause; speak of the suffering of anything: with of: as, to complain of headache, of poverty, or of wrong.
- complain To make a formal accusation against a person, or on account of anything; make a charge: with of.
- complain Synonyms To bewail, repine, grieve, mourn, grumble, croak.
- complain To lament; bewail; deplore.
- n complain Complaint; outcry.
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Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary
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Interesting fact: "To whinge" is Australian slang for "to complain constantly."
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- v.i Complain kom-plān′ to express grief, pain, censure: to murmur or express a sense of injury: to accuse: to make a mournful sound: to be ill—e.g. 'to complain of a sore throat.'—n. complaint
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Quotations
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“Those who do not complain are never pitied.” -
“Don't complain about the snow on your neighbor's roof when your own doorstep is unclean.” -
“Realize that if you have time to whine and complain about something then you have the time to do something about it.” -
“Had we not faults of our own, we should take less pleasure in complaining of others.” -
“Never complain. Never explain.” -
“I will not be as those who spend the day in complaining of headache, and the night in drinking the wine that gives it.”
Etymology
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
F. complaindre, LL. complangere,; com-, + L. plangere, to strike, beat, to beat the breast or head as a sign of grief, to lament. See Plaint
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary
Fr. complaindre—Low L. complangĕre—L. com, inten., plangĕre, bewail.
Usage
In literature:
Having been complaining is something.
"Matisse Picasso and Gertrude Stein" by Gertrude Stein
She had been grumbling and complaining all that time.
"Verner's Pride" by Mrs. Henry Wood
However, as I said before, I do not wish to complain of my condition.
"Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine -- Volume 55, No. 340, February, 1844" by Various
Poor Madame Depine was seized with a cough, more protracted than any of which she had complained.
"The Grey Wig: Stories and Novelettes" by Israel Zangwill
How could I complain of a man who compares me to Isaiah, under any circumstances?...
"The Letters of Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Volume II" by Elizabeth Barrett Browning
They were always complaining and getting her into trouble.
"Old Peter's Russian Tales" by Arthur Ransome
The Court of Nepaul complained of this aggression on their territory, and demanded reparation.
"A Journey through the Kingdom of Oude, Volumes I & II" by William Sleeman
Therefore, none of them could complain; and yet they were not satisfied; perhaps for want of complaining.
"Lorna Doone" by R. D. Blackmore
I going home with my father the night before, he complained that he was very weary, and said he would go to bed.
"Salem Witchcraft, Volumes I and II" by Charles Upham
The affected part is hot and itchy, but the patient does not complain of great pain.
"Manual of Surgery" by Alexis Thomson and Alexander Miles
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In poetry:
CHIDDEN still murmurs,
SLAPPED and RAPPED complain,
HURT, with a thousand tongues,
Whines out his pain.
SLAPPED and RAPPED complain,
HURT, with a thousand tongues,
Whines out his pain.
"Recipe" by Thomas William Hodgson Crosland
When Prussian fury sweeps the main
Our freedom to deny;
Of tyrant laws we ne'er complain;
But gladsomely comply!
Our freedom to deny;
Of tyrant laws we ne'er complain;
But gladsomely comply!
"Pacifist War Song - 1917" by Howard Phillips Lovecraft
The storm is raging hard, without;
But let us not complain,
For fiercely tho' it rages now,
A calm will come again.
But let us not complain,
For fiercely tho' it rages now,
A calm will come again.
"A Snow Storm" by Thomas Frederick Young
He so much loved his private gain
He could not hear or see;
They might or die or might complain
Without relief pardie.
He could not hear or see;
They might or die or might complain
Without relief pardie.
"The Viceroy. A Ballad." by Matthew Prior
Tigers marvel in their lust
At the tale of blood and pain,
Pity move the insensate dust,
And the very stones complain.
At the tale of blood and pain,
Pity move the insensate dust,
And the very stones complain.
"The Rhyme Of The Beast" by Thomas William Hodgson Crosland
With kindness bless the present hour,
Or oh! we meet in vain!
What can we do in absence more
Than suffer and complain?
Or oh! we meet in vain!
What can we do in absence more
Than suffer and complain?
"Written In A Quarrel" by William Cowper
In news:
But he's made a living and a reputation by complaining, and "60 Minutes" correspondent Morley Safer.
Goring Complains About Penalty Ratio.
Fifty-two elementary school children and five adults were taken to the hospital yesterday from a school in Queens, complaining of itching and, in some cases, a rash.
"I just can't help myself," I complained as she looked over some files.
Many clients have come to me complaining that their grip has gotten weaker over the years, and they find they have a hard time opening jars and bottles.
Consumers are constantly complaining about companies on social media.
If you didn't vote, you have no right to complain about anything.
Rather than letting complaining become a toxin to both you and your agency, the following principles will actually allow venting to be constructive, forward-looking, and emotionally healthy.
The school system gives a child free food, and she complains.
Some Merchants Complain That Payments Take Too Long.
And the best way to deal with it is to complain.
Eric Wiedemer created a gripe site to complain about his troubled Suzuki.
The makers of the two biggest web browser competitors to Internet Explorer (IE) are complaining that the version of Windows 8 aimed at ARM-based tablets, called Windows RT, won't support any desktop browser other than Microsoft's.
At least 36 Missouri women have complained to police in recent months about being tricked into embracing a serial hugger.
For every millennial worker (or manager) who has complained about lack of ease, the hard economy, or the trials of working with a challenging customer, here's a motivational story for you.
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In science:
April had complained about a mild continuous pain in the muscles around her knee and ankle the last time she finished running 6 miles.
Human Information Processing with the Personal Memex
The Java compiler complains again at the same line: a String can not be assigned to an int variable.
Extensible type checker for parser generation
Now the type checker complains: “Incompatible types: String and Int” we have got a precise error message without generating code and running a compiler.
Extensible type checker for parser generation
Overall the displaying of Flash websites and movies is very CPU intensive and many users complain that Flash is the main reason for their web browser too crash when browsing the Internet.
Analysis of Using Browser-native Technology to Build Rich Internet Applications for Image Manipulation
As from our interviews most of them complained that the caretakers were least interested in getting them married off in the reproductive age group.
Mathematical Analysis of the Problems faced by the People With Disabilities (PWDs)
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