Meaning & use
whining
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“whining” is a form of “whine”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
noununcountabledisapproving
Complaining in an annoying, high-pitched voice, often about small things.
Grammar: Uncountable noun: stop the whining.
Patterns
- stop the whining
I'm tired of all the whining.
The whining in the back seat lasted an hour.
Enough whining, please.
verbintransitivedisapproving
Present participle of whine: complaining or crying in a thin, irritating voice.
Grammar: -ing form: he is whining.
Patterns
- whine about something
- whine for something
The child was whining about bedtime.
Stop whining and help me.
The dog was whining at the door.
nounsingular
A long, high, unpleasant sound, as of an engine or animal.
Grammar: Often the whining of something.
Patterns
- the whining of something
The whining of the drill hurt my ears.
We heard the whining of the wind.
The puppy's whining woke us up.
Common combinations
- constant whining
- The constant whining was exhausting.
- stop whining
- Stop whining and try again.
- whining child
- A whining child tugged at her coat.
- whining about
- He kept whining about the weather.
Synonyms and how they differ
- complaining
- Complaining is neutral and may be justified.
- moaning
- Moaning is British and informal, with a low tone.
- grumbling
- Grumbling is lower, mutter-like.
- bellyaching
- Bellyaching is informal and exaggerated.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: whining or wining? whining or whinge?
whining vs wining
Wining means drinking wine, as in wining and dining.
whining vs whinge
Whinge is a British word for whine.
Practice
What does it suggest if someone calls you whining?
Choose one answer.
Whining means complaining in an irritating way.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “whining”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.