complaint

noun

com·​plaint kəm-ˈplānt How to pronounce complaint (audio)
Synonyms of complaint
1
: expression of grief, pain, or dissatisfaction
She did her chores without complaint.
2
a
: something that is the cause or subject of protest or outcry
Inefficiency was the main complaint against the local government.
b
: a bodily ailment or disease
The patient's complaint was frequent headaches.
3
a
: the initial pleading that starts a lawsuit and that sets forth the plaintiff's allegations against the defendant
b
: a document sworn to by a crime victim or police officer that sets forth a criminal offense and commences proceedings in a magistrate's court

Synonyms of complaint

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of complaint in a Sentence

The board has received a number of complaints about the new policy. The company has a system to handle customer complaints. The lack of parking spaces is a common complaint among the city's residents. The lack of financial support is our biggest complaint. He is being treated for a stomach complaint. Shortness of breath was a common complaint among the patients.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The plaintiffs requested jury trials to determine damages, according to the complaints filed in San Francisco Superior Court. — Madison Smalstig, Sacbee.com, 17 Oct. 2026 The complaint continued to identify No One Ever Really Dies as a source of alleged damages that could exceed $1 million. — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 17 Oct. 2026 But in Chicago, two losing seasons brought public complaints about the roster and talk of going elsewhere. — Dan Zaksheske Outkick, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2026 Federal prosecutors said in the complaint that the recovered device linked to Alfozan was a small microcontroller with a detachable camera sensor and digital microphone, a model easily available for purchase and listed for $24 on Amazon. — Suhauna Hussain, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for complaint

Word History

Etymology

Middle English compleynte, from Anglo-French compleint, from compleindre — see complain

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of complaint was in the 14th century

Phrases Containing complaint

Rhymes for complaint

See All Rhymes for complaint

Browse Nearby Words

complainingness
complaint
complaintive
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Complaint.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/complaint. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

complaint

noun
com·​plaint kəm-ˈplānt How to pronounce complaint (audio)
1
: expression of grief, pain, or resentment
2
a
: a cause or reason for complaining
the noise was her biggest complaint
b
: a pain or sickness in the body
3
: a charge of illegal wrongdoing against a person

Medical Definition

complaint

noun
com·​plaint kəm-ˈplānt How to pronounce complaint (audio)
: a bodily ailment or disease
bloating and other digestive complaints—Christine Gorman

Legal Definition

complaint

noun
com·​plaint
1
: the initial pleading that starts a lawsuit and that sets forth the allegations made by the plaintiff against the defendant and the plaintiff's demand for relief see also prayer, process, well-pleaded complaint rule compare answer
2
: a document sworn to by a victim or police officer that sets forth a criminal violation and that serves as the charging instrument by which charges are filed and judicial proceedings commenced against a defendant in a magistrate's court compare declaration, indictment, information
3
: petition

More from Merriam-Webster on complaint

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about complaint

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of compunction

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All