What does complain mean?
Definitions for complain
kəmˈpleɪncom·plain
This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word complain.
Princeton's WordNet
complain, kick, plain, sound off, quetch, kvetchverb
express complaints, discontent, displeasure, or unhappiness
"My mother complains all day"; "She has a lot to kick about"
complainverb
make a formal accusation; bring a formal charge
"The plaintiff's lawyer complained that he defendant had physically abused his client"
Wiktionary
complainverb
To express feelings of pain, dissatisfaction, or resentment.
Joe was always complaining about the noise made by his neighbours.
complainverb
To make a formal accusation or bring a formal charge.
They've complained about me to the police again.
Etymology: From complaynen, from complaindre, from complangere, from com- + plangere; see plain, plaint.
Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
To Complainverb
This sense is rare, and perhaps not very proper. To lament; to bewail.
Gaufride, who couldst so well in rhime complain
The death of Richard, with an arrow slain. John Dryden, Fables.To COMPLAINverb
Etymology: complaindre, French.
Lord Hastings,
Humbly complaining to her deity,
Got my lord chamberlain his liberty. William Shakespeare, Richard III.I will speak in the anguish of my spirit, I will complain in the bitterness of my soul. Job, vii. 11.
Shall I, like thee, on Friday night complain?
For on that day was Cœur de Lion slain. John Dryden, Fables.Do not all men complain, even these as well as others, of the great ignorance of mankind? Thomas Burnet, Theory of Earth. Pref. to.
Thus accurs’d,
In midst of water I complain of thirst. Dryden.Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins? Lam. iii. 39.
Now, master Shallow, you’ll complain of me to the council? William Shakespeare, Merry Wives of Windsor.
Wikipedia
complain
In legal terminology, a complaint is any formal legal document that sets out the facts and legal reasons (see: cause of action) that the filing party or parties (the plaintiff(s)) believes are sufficient to support a claim against the party or parties against whom the claim is brought (the defendant(s)) that entitles the plaintiff(s) to a remedy (either money damages or injunctive relief). For example, the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (FRCP) that govern civil litigation in United States courts provide that a civil action is commenced with the filing or service of a pleading called a complaint. Civil court rules in states that have incorporated the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure use the same term for the same pleading. In Civil Law, a “complaint” is the first formal action taken to officially begin a lawsuit. This written document contains the allegations against the defense, the specific laws violated, the facts that led to the dispute, and any demands made by the plaintiff to restore justice.In some jurisdictions, specific types of criminal cases may also be commenced by the filing of a complaint, also sometimes called a criminal complaint or felony complaint. Most criminal cases are prosecuted in the name of the governmental authority that promulgates criminal statutes and enforces the police power of the state with the goal of seeking criminal sanctions, such as the State (also sometimes called the People) or Crown (in Commonwealth realms). In the United States, the complaint is often associated with misdemeanor criminal charges presented by the prosecutor without the grand jury process. In most U.S. jurisdictions, the charging instrument presented to and authorized by a grand jury is referred to as an indictment.
Webster Dictionary
Complainverb
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
Complainverb
to make a formal accusation; to make a charge
Complainverb
to lament; to bewail
Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
Complain
kom-plān′, v.i. 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.—ns. Complain′ant, one who complains: (law) one who raises a suit, a plaintiff; Complain′er, a murmurer: complainant; Complain′ing, the action of the verb complain: complaint.—adv. Complain′ingly.—n. Complaint′, a complaining: an expression of grief: a representation of pains or injuries: a finding fault: the thing complained of: a disease: an ailment. [Fr. complaindre—Low L. complangĕre—L. com, inten., plangĕre, bewail.]
Matched Categories
British National Corpus
Written Corpus Frequency
Rank popularity for the word 'complain' in Written Corpus Frequency: #3729
Verbs Frequency
Rank popularity for the word 'complain' in Verbs Frequency: #443
Anagrams for complain »
amplicon
Numerology
Chaldean Numerology
The numerical value of complain in Chaldean Numerology is: 5
Pythagorean Numerology
The numerical value of complain in Pythagorean Numerology is: 2
Examples of complain in a Sentence
Inventory-to-sales ratios are at historic lows, record numbers of small businesses complain of tight inventories, ports are congested, and shortages of semiconductor chips and new/used cars are driving prices higher, we expect goods inflation to soften by year end as demand levels off and production rebounds, but wages may continue to climb.
Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush:
We will not win if we just complain about how bad things are.
Peru did as much as possible to win the game and score. Unfortunately, we didn't manage to do that, i have nothing to say to my players. They did their best. I really can't complain. I think in general terms the result doesn't really reflect what happened on the pitch. But football is all about effectiveness.
There are things that shouldn't get lost, that have gone very well here even though Cubans complain, i don't want the system, the country or the regime, whatever you want to call it, to change.
After you won the game, do you remember what I did? I said ‘good game, thanks’ and I shook your disgusting hand, i didn’t complain that it was rigged, I didn’t ask for a recount on the referee, I didn’t start a conspiracy theory about the basketball having a microchip in it. I brought shame on my family and I embraced it as I always do.
Popularity rank by frequency of use
Translations for complain
From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary
- اشتكى, تذمر, شكاArabic
- оплаквам се, подавам жалбаBulgarian
- queixar-seCatalan, Valencian
- stěžovat, podat, stížnostCzech
- achwynWelsh
- klagen, beschwerenGerman
- παραπονιέμαιGreek
- quejarseSpanish
- شکایتPersian
- valittaa, [[tehdä]] [[valitus]]Finnish
- porter plainte, se plaindreFrench
- dèan casaid, talaich, gearainScottish Gaelic
- शिकायत करनाHindi
- գանգատիլ, գանգատվելArmenian
- mengeluhIndonesian
- plendarIdo
- lagnarsi, lamentarsiItalian
- とやかく, 訴える, ぼやく, ぶつぶつ, 文句Japanese
- წუწუნი, ბუზღუნი, ჩივილიGeorgian
- 불평하다Korean
- querorLatin
- klacht, klagenDutch
- plànherOccitan
- skarżyć się, składać skargę, skarżyć, narzekaćPolish
- queixar-se, reclamarPortuguese
- plângeRomanian
- сетовать, подавать жалобу, ныть, жаловатьсяRussian
- klagaSwedish
- lalamikaSwahili
- บ่นThai
- şikayetTurkish
- si plindeWalloon
- באַקלאָגנ זיךYiddish
- 抱怨Chinese
Get even more translations for complain »
Translation
Find a translation for the complain definition in other languages:
Select another language:
- - Select -
- 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
- 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
- Español (Spanish)
- Esperanto (Esperanto)
- 日本語 (Japanese)
- Português (Portuguese)
- Deutsch (German)
- العربية (Arabic)
- Français (French)
- Русский (Russian)
- ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
- 한국어 (Korean)
- עברית (Hebrew)
- Gaeilge (Irish)
- Українська (Ukrainian)
- اردو (Urdu)
- Magyar (Hungarian)
- मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
- Indonesia (Indonesian)
- Italiano (Italian)
- தமிழ் (Tamil)
- Türkçe (Turkish)
- తెలుగు (Telugu)
- ภาษาไทย (Thai)
- Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
- Čeština (Czech)
- Polski (Polish)
- Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
- Românește (Romanian)
- Nederlands (Dutch)
- Ελληνικά (Greek)
- Latinum (Latin)
- Svenska (Swedish)
- Dansk (Danish)
- Suomi (Finnish)
- فارسی (Persian)
- ייִדיש (Yiddish)
- հայերեն (Armenian)
- Norsk (Norwegian)
- English (English)
Word of the Day
Would you like us to send you a FREE new word definition delivered to your inbox daily?
Citation
Use the citation below to add this definition to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"complain." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2023. Web. 6 Jun 2023. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/complain>.
Discuss these complain definitions with the community:
Report Comment
We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.
If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
Attachment
You need to be logged in to favorite.
Log In