complain

complain
verb
ADVERB
bitterly

She complained bitterly about the lack of help she received.

loudly
constantly, frequently, repeatedly
openly, publicly
privately
VERB + COMPLAIN
cannot
can hardly

It was entirely my own idea, so I can hardly complain.

have cause to, have reason to, have a right to

He really has no right to complain.

begin to, start to
PREPOSITION
about

All the guests complained about the noise.

at

She complained at the unfairness of it all.

to

I'm going to complain to the authorities about this!

of

45 officers complained of harassment.

Complain is used with these nouns as the subject: ↑critic, ↑employee, ↑neighbour

Collocations dictionary. 2013.

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Synonyms:

Look at other dictionaries:

  • complain — com·plain vi: to make a complaint Merriam Webster’s Dictionary of Law. Merriam Webster. 1996. complain I ( …   Law dictionary

  • complain — UK US /kəmˈpleɪn/ verb [I] ► to tell someone that something is wrong or not satisfactory, and that you are annoyed about it: complain about sth »Workers complain about the conditions in which they are forced to work. complain that »The chief… …   Financial and business terms

  • Complain — Com*plain (k[o^]m*pl[=a]n ), v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Complained} (k[o^]m*pl[=a]nd ); p. pr. & vb. n. {Complaining}.] [F. complaindre, LL. complangere; com + L. plangere to strike, beat, to beat the breast or head as a sign of grief, to lament. See… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Complain — Com*plain , v. t. To lament; to bewail. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] They might the grievance inwardly complain. Daniel. [1913 Webster] By chaste Lucrece s soul that late complain d Her wrongs to us. Shak. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • complain — ► VERB 1) express dissatisfaction or annoyance. 2) (complain of) state that one is suffering from (a symptom of illness). DERIVATIVES complainer noun. ORIGIN Old French complaindre, from Latin complangere bewail …   English terms dictionary

  • complain — (v.) late 14c., find fault, lament, from stem of O.Fr. complaindre to lament (12c.), from V.L. *complangere, originally to beat the breast, from L. com , intensive prefix (see COM (Cf. com )), + plangere to strike, beat the breast (see PLAGUE (Cf …   Etymology dictionary

  • complain — [v] grumble about accuse, ascribe, attack, beef*, bellyache*, bemoan, bewail, bitch, carp, cavil, charge, contravene, criticize, defy, demur, denounce, deplore, deprecate, differ, disagree, disapprove, dissent, expostulate, find fault, fret, fuss …   New thesaurus

  • complain — [kəm plān′] vi. [ME compleinen < OFr complaindre < VL * complangere, orig., to beat the breast < L com , intens. + plangere, to strike: see PLAINT] 1. to claim or express pain, displeasure, etc. 2. to find fault; declare annoyance 3. to… …   English World dictionary

  • complain — com|plain W3S2 [kəmˈpleın] v [Date: 1300 1400; : Old French; Origin: complaindre, from Vulgar Latin complangere, from Latin com ( COM ) + plangere ( PLAINT)] 1.) [I,T not in passive] to say that you are annoyed, not satisfied, or unhappy about… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • complain — verb 1 (intransitive, transitive not in passive) to say that you are annoyed, dissatisfied, or unhappy about something or someone: They ve already been given a 10% raise so why are they complaining? | You never ask my opinion about anything, Rod… …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

  • complain */*/*/ — UK [kəmˈpleɪn] / US verb [intransitive/transitive] Word forms complain : present tense I/you/we/they complain he/she/it complains present participle complaining past tense complained past participle complained to say that you are not satisfied… …   English dictionary

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