com ‧ plain S2 W3 /kəmˈpleɪn/ BrE AmE verb
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: 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 something or someone ⇨ complaint :
Residents are complaining because traffic in the area has increased.
‘You never ask my opinion about anything,’ Rod complained.
complain (that)
She complained that no one had been at the airport to meet her.
complain about
She often complains about not feeling appreciated at work.
complain of
Several women have complained of sexual harassment.
complain to
Neighbours complained to the police about the dogs barking.
Employees complained bitterly about working conditions.
2 . (I/you/he etc) can’t complain spoken used to say that a situation is satisfactory, even though there may be a few problems:
I make a good living. I can’t complain.
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COLLOCATIONS
■ adverbs
▪ complain bitterly (=in a very angry way)
My grandfather’s always complaining bitterly about how expensive things are.
▪ complain loudly
The kids were complaining loudly about the heat.
▪ constantly complain
She was constantly complaining about her job.
■ phrases
▪ have the right to complain
You have the right to complain if you’re not satisfied with the service you’re getting.
▪ have (good) reason to complain
We felt we had good reason to complain about the food at the hotel.
▪ have little/no reason to complain
The school is good and parents have little reason to complain.
▪ have cause to complain
Patients sometimes have cause to complain about the hospital treatment they receive.
▪ be in a position to complain (=have a good reason to complain)
If you feel you are bullied at work, you are certainly in a position to complain.
▪ be the first to complain (=be quick to complain)
He’s the first to complain if he thinks something is unfair.
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THESAURUS
▪ complain to say that you are annoyed, unhappy, or not satisfied about something or someone:
Several customers complained about the service they received.
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‘I wish you’d stop telling me what to do,’ she complained.
▪ make a complaint to formally complain about something to someone in authority:
His parents made a complaint to the head teacher.
▪ protest to complain about something that you think is wrong, especially publicly:
Demonstrators were protesting against the war.
▪ object to say that you oppose or disapprove of something:
Local residents have objected to the plan.
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Some teachers objected to the scheme.
▪ grumble to keep complaining in a bad-tempered way about something:
Rail travellers have been grumbling about the increase in ticket prices.
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What’s he grumbling about now?
▪ moan/whine informal ( also whinge /wɪndʒ/ British English informal ) to keep complaining in an annoying way:
Everyone was moaning about the hotel food.
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Stop whingeing and get on with your work!
▪ kick up/make a fuss to complain or become angry about something, especially something that is not very important:
The soup wasn’t hot enough, but he didn’t want to make a fuss.
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He kicked up such a fuss that they were offered another room.
complain of something phrasal verb formal
to say that you feel ill or have a pain in a part of your body:
Dan’s been complaining of severe headaches.