complain

English

Etymology

FromMiddle Englishcomplaynen,fromOld Frenchcomplaindre,fromMedieval Latincomplangere(“to bewail, complain”),fromLatincom-(“together”)+plangere(“to strike, beat, as the breast in extreme grief, bewail”);seeplain,plaint.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):/kəmˈpleɪn/

• Audio(US):

  (file)

• Rhymes:-eɪn

Verb

complain(third-person singular simple presentcomplains,present participlecomplaining,simple past and past participlecomplained)

1. (intransitive)Toexpressfeelingsofpain,dissatisfaction,orresentment.

   Joe was alwayscomplainingabout the noise made by his neighbours.

   • 1671,John Milton,“Samson Agonistes,[…].”,inParadise Regain’d. A Poem. In IV Books. To which is Added, Samson Agonistes,London:[…]J[ohn]M[acock]for John Starkey[…],→OCLC,page12,line67:

     O loſs of ſight, of thee I moſtcomplain!

2. (intransitive)To make aformalaccusationor bring aformalcharge.

   They'vecomplainedabout me to the police again.

   • c.1597(date written),William Shakespeare,“The Merry Wiues of Windsor”,inMr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies[…](First Folio), London:[…]Isaac Iaggard,andEd[ward]Blount,published1623,→OCLC,[Act I, scene i]:

     Now, Master Shallow, you'llcomplainof me to the king?

   • 1997,George Carlin,Brain Droppings‎^[1],New York:Hyperion Books,→ISBN,→LCCN,→OCLC,→OL,page85:

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

3. Tocreakorsqueak,as a timber or wheel.

   thecomplainingbed-springs

Synonyms

• (to express displeasure with):SeeThesaurus:complain

Derived terms

• can't complain
• complainable
• complainee
• complainer
• complainingly
• complainingness
• complain king
• complain queen
• complainy
• noncomplaining
• uncomplained
• uncomplaining
• you'd complain if you were hung with a new rope

Translations

to express feelings of pain, dissatisfaction, or resentment

• Arabic:تَذَمَّرَ(taḏammara),اِشْتَكَى(ištakā),شَكَا(šakā)

  Moroccan Arabic:شْكَى(ška)

• Armenian:գանգատվել(hy)(gangatvel)(Eastern Armenian),գանգատիլ(gangatil)(Western Armenian)
• Azerbaijani:şikayət etmək
• Basque:auhendatu
• Bulgarian:оплаквам се(oplakvam se)
• Catalan:queixar-se(ca),plànyer-se(ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin:Oán giận(zh)(bàoyuàn),Càu nhàu／Càu nhàu(zh)(fā láosāo),Than thở／Than thở(zh)(bēitàn)

• Czech:stěžovatsi
• Dalmatian:plungro
• Danish:klage(da),beklage sig,brokke sig(da)
• Dutch:klagen(nl)
• Esperanto:plendi
• Finnish:valittaa(fi)
• French:se plaindre(fr)
• Galician:laiar,queixarse,carpir,tanxer(gl)
• Georgian:წუწუნი(c̣uc̣uni),ბუზღუნი(buzɣuni),ჩივილი(čivili)
• German:sichbeschweren,klagen(de),sichbeklagen,meckern(de)

  Alemannic German:motzä

• Gothic:𐌲𐌰𐍈𐍉𐍄𐌾𐌰𐌽(gaƕōtjan),𐌱𐌹𐍂𐍉𐌳𐌾𐌰𐌽(birōdjan)
• Greek:παραπονιέμαι(el)(paraponiémai)
• Hawaiian:hoʻohalahala
• Hebrew:התלונן(he)
• Hindi:शिकायत करना(śikāyat karnā)
• Ido:plendar(io)
• Indonesian:adu(id)
• Irish:bí agclamhsán,déanclamhsán,éagaoin
• Italian:lamentarsi(it),lagnarsi(it)
• Japanese:ぼやく(ja)(boyaku),ぶつぶつNgôn う(ぶつぶついう, butsubutsu iu),とやかくNgôn う(とやくいう, toyaku iu)
• Korean:불평( bất bình )하다(ko)(bulpyeonghada),불만( bất mãn )을말하다(bulman-eul malhada),(in an official capacity)항의( kháng nghị )하다(ko)(hang'uihada),(government)민원( dân nguyện )을제기( nhắc tới )하다(minwon-eul jegihada)
• Latin:queror(la)
• Malay:adu(ms)
• Malayalam:പരാതിപ്പെടുക(parātippeṭuka)
• Occitan:plànher(oc)
• Old English:mǣnan
• Polish:narzekać(pl),skarżyć się(pl)
• Portuguese:reclamar(pt),queixar-se(pt)
• Romanian:plânge(ro)
• Russian:жа́ловаться(ru)(žálovatʹsja),сетовать(ru)(setovatʹ),ныть(ru)(nytʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic:gearain,talaich
• Serbo-Croatian:žaliti seimpf,požaliti sepf
• Spanish:quejarse(es),alegar(es),lamentarse(es),querellarse(es)
• Swahili:lalamika(sw)
• Swedish:klaga(sv)
• Thai:บ่น(th)(bòn)
• Tocharian B:pälw-
• Ukrainian:ска́ржитисяimpf(skáržytysja),ни́тиimpf(nýty),жалі́тисяimpf(žalítysja)
• Vietnamese:phàn nàn(vi)
• Volapük:plonön(vo)
• Walloon:si plinde(wa)
• Welsh:achwyn(cy),cwyno(cy),conan(cy)
• Yoruba:ṣàròyé,ráhùn,rojọ́

to make a formal accusation or bring a formal charge

• Arabic:شَكَا(šakā),اِشْتَكَى(ištakā)
• Armenian:բողոքել(hy)(boġokʻel),բողոք հայտնել(boġokʻ haytnel),բողոք հարուցել(boġokʻ harucʻel),բողոք տալ(boġokʻ tal),գանգատ տալ(gangat tal)
• Azerbaijani:şikayət etmək
• Bulgarian:подавам жалба(podavam žalba)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin:Khiếu nại／Khiếu nại(zh)(tóusù)

• Czech:podat(cs)stížnost(cs)f
• Dutch: eenklacht(nl)indienen,klagen(nl),zeiken(nl),kankeren(nl)
• Esperanto:plendi
• Finnish:valittaa(fi),tehdävalitus
• French:porter plainte(fr)
• Georgian:ჩივილი(čivili)
• German:sichbeschweren,klagen(de)
• Greek:

  Ancient:μέμφομαι(mémphomai)

• Irish:bí agclamhsán,déanclamhsán
• Japanese:Câu chữする(monku suru),Tố える(ja)(uttaeru)
• Khmer:please add this translation if you can
• Korean:고소( nói cho )하다(ko)(gosohada),고발( tố giác )하다(ko)(gobalhada)
• Mongolian:please add this translation if you can
• Polish:skarżyć(pl),składać skargę
• Portuguese:queixar-se(pt)
• Romanian:seplânge,reclama(ro)
• Russian:жа́ловаться(ru)(žálovatʹsja),подава́ть жа́лобу(podavátʹ žálobu)
• Scottish Gaelic:dèan casaid
• Spanish:reclamar(es),protestar(es),quejarse(es),querellarse(es)
• Swahili:lalamika(sw)
• Thai:ร้องเรียน(th)(rɔ́ɔng-riian)
• Ukrainian:ска́ржитисяimpf(skáržytysja)
• Vietnamese:thưa kiện(vi)
• Welsh:achwyn(cy)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions atWiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Hebrew:^{(pleaseverify)}להתלונן(le'hitlonen)
• Icelandic:^{(pleaseverify)}kvarta(is)
• Italian:^{(pleaseverify)}reclamare(it),^{(pleaseverify)}lamentarsi(it),^{(pleaseverify)}lagnarsi(it)
• Romanian:^{(pleaseverify)}plânge(ro)
• Serbo-Croatian:^{(pleaseverify)}požaliti(sh),^{(pleaseverify)}žaliti(sh)
• Swedish:^{(pleaseverify)}klaga(sv)
• Tagalog:^{(pleaseverify)}reklamo

Further reading

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

Anagrams

• amplicon