whine

[hwahyn, wahyn] /ʰwaɪn, waɪn/
verb (used without object), whined, whining.
1.
to utter a low, usually nasal, complaining cry or sound, as from uneasiness, discontent, peevishness, etc.:
The puppies were whining from hunger.
2.
to snivel or complain in a peevish, self-pitying way:
He is always whining about his problems.
verb (used with object), whined, whining.
3.
to utter with or as if with a whine:
I whined my litany of complaints.
noun
4.
a whining utterance, sound, or tone.
5.
a feeble, peevish complaint.
Origin
before 1150; Middle English whinen (v.), Old English hwīnan to whiz; cognate with Old Norse hvīna
Related forms
whiner, noun
whiningly, adverb
unwhining, adjective
unwhiningly, adverb
Can be confused
wine, whine.
Synonyms
1. moan, whimper. 2. See complain.
Examples from the web for whine
  • The lumberjack doesn't whine and complain how life is unfair and how tree regulations made it happen.
  • whine and complain seems their only order of business.
  • Debarked dogs continue to bark, whine and vocalize in all the ways dogs do.
  • Filter out that snoring seatmate or incessant jet-engine whine.
  • And no transmission whine because there's no transmission.
  • They say what ought to be done, they whine about what the world has become.
  • And so they whine and cry, until their owners decide that they're tired of wasting money on feeding them.
  • E-commerce is turning the complicated details of liquor distribution into the whine industry.
  • Go whine to someone who actually gives, if you can find them, that is.
  • There was a din: the hollow, rumbling rhythm of drumbeats and the thin whine of oboes.
British Dictionary definitions for whine

whine

/waɪn/
noun
1.
a long high-pitched plaintive cry or moan
2.
a continuous high-pitched sound
3.
a peevish complaint, esp one repeated
verb
4.
to make a whine or utter in a whine
Derived Forms
whiner, noun
whining, adjective
whiningly, adverb
Word Origin
Old English hwīnan; related to Old Norse hvīna, Swedish hvija to scream
Word Origin and History for whine
v.

Old English hwinan "to whiz or whistle through the air" (only of arrows), also hwinsian "to whine" (of dogs), ultimately of imitative origin (cf. Old Norse hvina "to whiz," German wiehern "to neigh"). Meaning "to complain in a feeble way" is first recorded 1520s. Related: Whined; whining.

n.

1630s, from whine (v.).