snivel

verb

Definition of snivelnext
as in to whimper
to complain or cry in an annoying way The child sniveled until he got his way.

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of snivel But Flynn also oozes sniveling self-righteousness while hotly defending and petitioning for childhood innocence (amusing hints emerge that the daughter is a somewhat lazy and dim underachiever). — Christopher Smith, Oc Register, 7 Apr. 2026 Bruce Springsteen was speaking truth to power when the titans of industry were caving and sniveling. — Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 23 Mar. 2026 Downey redirects all his Tony Stark smarm into this portrait of a sniveling, jealous political worm, a marvelous capstone to his Hollywood comeback story. — Jordan Hoffman, Vanity Fair, 15 Mar. 2026 Faced with the sniveling sum of these failures, Garfield is startled but compassionate. — Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 7 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for snivel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for snivel
  1. whimper
  2. sob
  3. cry
  4. whine
  5. moan
  6. groan
Verb
  • Over the course of two hours, witnesses watched and listened as Christa Pike cried, whimpered and snored through Tennessee’s attempt to execute her.
    — Keri Blakinger, ProPublica, 6 Oct. 2026
  • And then the child began to whimper, slowly waking from her sleep.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of whimper
Verb
  • Zheng clinched with her first match point chance, serving an ace to Andreeva’s backhand side, then fell to the court sobbing with emotion.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 11 Oct. 2026
  • Five players and the referee tried to catch it, Steph recalled, while its owner sobbed on the sidelines.
    — Vanda Mayer, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of sob
Verb
  • Among them were a parent at her daughter’s school who recognized her on account of her voice alone and a dad on an airplane whose baby had been crying non-stop for over an hour.
    — Oscar Holland, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Another girl cried non-stop—possibly from fear and nervousness rather than sorrow.
    — Yiyun Li, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of cry
Verb
  • While the left spent all week whining about Sophie Cunningham's hat and firing squad best practices, us PATRIOTS were biding our time, keeping our heads down, and grinding towards another weekend.
    — Zach Dean OutKick, FOXNews.com, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Dogs may actually improve our sleep habits by forcing us to adjust to consistent bedtime schedules — as anyone with a sleepy, whining dog can confirm.
    — Gina Vivinetto, NBC news, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of whine
Verb
  • For a cold moment the silence locked a grip on our table, though it was broken, at the edges, by the golf commentators moaning and harrumphing, Rory McIlroy having had a canary on a seventeenth fairway somewhere this championship Sunday.
    — Kevin Barry, New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2026
  • By the time Fowler gave up trying to put one in Carruthers, DiLiberato could hear her client moaning and see blood oozing out of his puncture wounds.
    — Keri Blakinger, ProPublica, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of moan
Verb
  • The roar of the engines vibrated through the fuselage, rattling bones and teeth, while supply crates shifted and groaned with every lurch.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Carruthers groaned in pain and blood oozed from puncture wounds, DeLiberato said in a news briefing.
    — Catherine Sweeney, NPR, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of groan

Browse Nearby Words

snitch (on)
snivel
sniveled
See all Nearby Words

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Cite this Entry

“Snivel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/snivel. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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