kvetch

1 of 2

verb

ˈkvech How to pronounce kvetch (audio) ˈkfech How to pronounce kvetch (audio)
kvetched; kvetching; kvetches
Synonyms of kvetch

intransitive verb

: to complain habitually : gripe
kvetcher noun

kvetch

2 of 2

noun

1
: a habitual complainer
2
: complaint sense 1
kvetchy
ˈkve-chē How to pronounce kvetch (audio)
ˈkfe-
adjective

Synonyms of kvetch

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Verb

Noun

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Examples of kvetch in a Sentence

Verb They're always kvetching about something. a chronically resentful person who seems to look for things to kvetch about Noun according to the kvetch on the bus tour, there was little about Europe that was satisfactory vainly hoped that his coworker would spare him another kvetch about being overworked
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.
Verb
Among Oscars watchers, these absences created no small amount of kvetching about whether the Lido had lost its luster. — Nate Jones, Vulture, 2 Sep. 2026 Pouncing, of course, is one of the eternal joys of reading, just as sports fans know no keener pleasure than that of kvetching about the players who weren’t picked for a vital game and who would have surely made all the difference. — Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026
Noun
Our only kvetch was that the controls take a little getting used to. — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 31 July 2026 But Buffett has long listed his kvetches with executive compensation design and practices at other companies. — Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 4 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for kvetch

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Yiddish kvetshn, literally, to squeeze, pinch, from Middle High German quetschen

First Known Use

Verb

circa 1950, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1957, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of kvetch was circa 1950

Rhymes for kvetch

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Browse Nearby Words

kvell
kvetch
kvutzah
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Kvetch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kvetch. Accessed 7 Sep. 2026.

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