- 1
To express feelings of pain, dissatisfaction, or resentment.intransitive
- Joe was always complaining about the noise made by his neighbours.
- 2
To state the presence of something negative; to indicate that one is suffering from something; to report (e.g.) a symptom.intransitive
- The patient complained of headache, nausea, and joint pain.
- 3
To make a formal accusation or bring a formal charge.intransitive
- They've complained about me to the police again.
- 4
To creak or squeak, as a timber or wheel.
- the complaining bed-springs
syn. beef · bellyache · bemoan · bitch · bleat · whimper · carp · chunter · complain · crab · croak · dump on