ENGLISH
REFERENCE

complain

v.
A2 Elementary Oxford US //kəmˈpɫeɪn// UK //kəmplˈeɪn// com·plain General-service

v. to say that you are unhappy or not satisfied with something. You use this when you want to tell someone that something is wrong or annoying.

v. to express dissatisfaction, pain, or resentment. Intransitive in its primary sense, though it often takes a prepositional phrase or a 'that' clause as a complement.


SIMPLE

He likes to complain about the cold weather.

CONTEXTUAL

If the food is cold when it arrives, you should complain to the manager immediately.

COMPLEX

While some residents chose to complain about the noise levels, others simply invested in better insulation to block out the sound of the nearby construction.

Synonyms
Antonyms
Origin

From Middle English complaynen, from Old French complaindre, from Medieval Latin complangere (“to bewail, complain”), from Latin com- (“together”) + plangere (“to strike, beat, as the breast in extreme grief, bewail”); see plain, plaint.

Usage

Typically takes the preposition 'about' for the subject of dissatisfaction, or 'to' for the recipient of the message.

Pitfall

She complained me about the noise.She complained to me about the noise.Complain is intransitive and cannot take a person as a direct object; you must use the preposition 'to'.

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