Meaning & use
griped
Last updated
“griped” is a form of “gripe”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meaning
verbintransitiveinformal
Complained in a grumbling way about something that was annoying but fairly minor.
Grammar: Usually followed by about, or by that: he griped about the traffic.
Patterns
- gripe about something
- gripe that something
- gripe to someone
My brother griped about the price of coffee all morning.
The staff griped that the meeting ran too long.
She griped to her friends about the noisy neighbors.
Word forms
| base form | gripe |
|---|---|
| third person singular | gripes |
| -ing form | griping |
Common combinations
- griped about the weather
- Everyone griped about the weather during the picnic.
- griped to a friend
- He griped to a friend about his workload.
- griped that
- She griped that nobody ever listened.
- constantly griped
- The customers constantly griped about the slow service.
Synonyms and how they differ
- complained
- Complained is neutral and can be serious, while griped suggests petty grumbling.
- grumbled
- Grumbled stresses a low, unhappy sound or tone, while griped stresses the content of the complaint.
- moaned
- Moaned is very similar but sounds a bit more whining and is more common in British English.
- whined
- Whined is more negative and suggests an irritating, childish tone.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: griped or griped vs gripped?
griped vs griped vs gripped
Gripped means held something tightly, while griped means complained. Notice the double p in gripped.
Practice
Which sentence uses griped correctly?
Choose one answer.
Griped means complained and is followed by about. Gripped, with two p's, is the word for holding tightly.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “griped”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.