Meanings
plural whines
- A long-drawn, high-pitched complaining cry or sound.
The 18-year-old [Justin] Bieber can’t quite pull off the “adult” thing just yet: His voice may have dropped a bit since the days of “Baby,” but it still mostly registers as “angelic,” and veers toward a pubescent whine at times.
2012 June 26, Genevieve Koski, “Music: Reviews: Justin Bieber: Believe”, in The A.V. Club, archived from the original on 06 Aug 2020 - A peevish or self-pitying complaint or criticism.
I need to have a quick whine about my boss before we start talking about the holiday.
1 more example
Eighner, in particular, is infamous for his "what publishers and editors did to poor me" whines.
1987 April 4, T.R. Witomski, “witomski responds to readers' response to witomski (letter)”, in Gay Community News, page 6
present singular third person whines · participle present whining · participle past whined · past whined · first person past singular whined · archaic present second person singular whinest · past second person singular whined · archaic past second person singular whinedst · present singular third person whines · archaic present singular third person whineth · past singular third person whined · past plural whined · past subjunctive whined · participle present whining · participle past whined
- intransitiveTo utter a high-pitched cry.
- intransitiveTo make a sound resembling such a cry.
The jet engines whined at take off.
- intransitiveTo complain or protest with a whine (compare whinge) or as if with a whine, i.e. in a peevish or self-pitying way.
Feel awfully about Scott... I always knew he couldn't think—he never could—but he had a marvelous talent and the thing is to use it—not whine in public.
1936 Feb. 15, Ernest Hemingway, letter to Maxwell Perkins1 more example
[S]he was one of your ſoft ſpoken, canting, whining hypocrites, who with a truly jeſuitical art, could wreſt evil out of the moſt inoffenſive thought, word, look or action; […]
1765, Catherine Jemmat, The Memoirs of Mrs. Catherine Jemmat, Daughter of the Late Admiral Yeo, of Plymouth. Written by Herself, 2nd edition, volume I, London: Printed for the author, at Charing-Cross, →OCLC, page 145 - intransitiveTo move with a whining sound.
The jet whined into the air.
1 more example
The wind whined and moaned through the trees.
- transitiveTo utter with the sound of a whine.
The child whined all his complaints.
1 more example
Kelly Queen was whining that the boss made him put on his tie.
Synonyms & antonyms
verbmake a high-pitched, screeching noise
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*ḱwey-“to hiss, whistle, whisper”
- Proto-Germanic*hwīnaną
- Proto-West Germanic*hwīnan
- Old Englishhwīnan“to rush, to whizz, to squeal, to whine”
- Middle Englishwhynen
- Englishwhine
From Middle English whynen, hwinen, whinen, from Old English hwīnan (“to rush, to whizz, to squeal, to whine”), from Proto-West Germanic *hwīnan, from Proto-Germanic *hwīnaną, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱwey- (“to hiss, whistle, whisper”). Cognate with Old Norse hvína, whence Icelandic hvína, Norwegian Nynorsk kvina, Swedish vina, and Danish hvine. Despite the strong similarity in sound and meaning, not related with German weinen, Dutch wenen, from Proto-Germanic *wainōną (for which see dialectal English ween (“to weep, lament”)).
More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek μινυρίζω, μινυρίζω
- μινυρίζω (minurízō)to complain or protest with a whine or as if with a whine
- μινυρίζω (minurízō)to utter a whine
Bulgarian вой, скимтя
- вой (voj)long-drawn, high-pitched complaining cry or sound
- скимтя (skimtja)to make a sound resembling such a cry
- хленча (hlenča)to complain or protest with a whine or as if with a whine
- вия (vija)to utter a whine
Catalan gemec, udol
- gemeclong-drawn, high-pitched complaining cry or sound
- udollong-drawn, high-pitched complaining cry or sound
Czech stěžovat si, naříkat (si)
- stěžovat sito complain or protest with a whine or as if with a whine
- naříkat (si)to complain or protest with a whine or as if with a whine
- kňouratto utter a whine
- kňučetto utter a whine
- skučetto utter a whine
Danish hvin, hvine
- hvinlong-drawn, high-pitched complaining cry or sound
- hvineto utter a whine
Dutch zeuren, huilen
- zeurenlong-drawn, high-pitched complaining cry or sound
- huilenlong-drawn, high-pitched complaining cry or sound
- jammerenlong-drawn, high-pitched complaining cry or sound
- zeurento complain or protest with a whine or as if with a whine
Esperanto plor'grinco, kritikaĉi
- plor'grincolong-drawn, high-pitched complaining cry or sound
- kritikaĉito complain or protest with a whine or as if with a whine
Finnish ulvonta, ujeltaa
- ulvontalong-drawn, high-pitched complaining cry or sound
- ujeltaato make a sound resembling such a cry
- kitistäto complain or protest with a whine or as if with a whine
- vinkuato complain or protest with a whine or as if with a whine
- vikistäto complain or protest with a whine or as if with a whine
- ujeltaato move with a whining sound
- vikistäto utter a whine
- vinkuato utter a whine
- uikuttaato utter a whine
French pleurnicherie, geignement
- pleurnicherielong-drawn, high-pitched complaining cry or sound
- geignementlong-drawn, high-pitched complaining cry or sound
- pleurnicherto complain or protest with a whine or as if with a whine
- geindreto complain or protest with a whine or as if with a whine
- chouinerto complain or protest with a whine or as if with a whine
- couinerto utter a whine
German Jaulen, Heulen
- Jaulenlong-drawn, high-pitched complaining cry or sound
- Heulenlong-drawn, high-pitched complaining cry or sound
- Jammernlong-drawn, high-pitched complaining cry or sound
- Gejammerlong-drawn, high-pitched complaining cry or sound
- jaulento complain or protest with a whine or as if with a whine
- heulento complain or protest with a whine or as if with a whine
- jammernto complain or protest with a whine or as if with a whine
- quengelnto complain or protest with a whine or as if with a whine
- weinento complain or protest with a whine or as if with a whine
- jaulento utter a whine
- heulento utter a whine
- jammernto utter a whine
- winselnto utter a whine
Hungarian vinnyog, siránkozik
- vinnyogto complain or protest with a whine or as if with a whine
- siránkozikto utter a whine
Indonesian rengekan, berderu
- rengekanlong-drawn, high-pitched complaining cry or sound
- berderuto make a sound resembling such a cry
- menderuto make a sound resembling such a cry
- merengekto complain or protest with a whine or as if with a whine
- merengekto utter a whine
Irish cuach
- cuachlong-drawn, high-pitched complaining cry or sound
Italian piagnisteo, lagna
- piagnisteolong-drawn, high-pitched complaining cry or sound
- lagnalong-drawn, high-pitched complaining cry or sound
- sibilolong-drawn, high-pitched complaining cry or sound
- piagnucoliolong-drawn, high-pitched complaining cry or sound
- frignolong-drawn, high-pitched complaining cry or sound
- uggioliolong-drawn, high-pitched complaining cry or sound
- sibilareto make a sound resembling such a cry
- piagnucolareto complain or protest with a whine or as if with a whine
- piagnucolareto utter a whine
Lithuanian verkšlenti
- verkšlentito utter a whine
Māori ngengere, kōingoingo
- ngengerelong-drawn, high-pitched complaining cry or sound
- kōingoingoto make a sound resembling such a cry
- koroingoingoto make a sound resembling such a cry
- ngengereto make a sound resembling such a cry
- ngāneheneheto complain or protest with a whine or as if with a whine
- ngengereto utter with the sound of a whine
- ueneto utter a whine
- ngengereto utter a whine
Norwegian hvin, hyl
- hvinlong-drawn, high-pitched complaining cry or sound
- hyllong-drawn, high-pitched complaining cry or sound
- sutreto complain or protest with a whine or as if with a whine
- syteto complain or protest with a whine or as if with a whine
- jamreto complain or protest with a whine or as if with a whine
- hvineto utter a whine
- hyleto utter a whine
Persian فغان, ناله
- فغان (faġân)long-drawn, high-pitched complaining cry or sound
- ناله (nâle)long-drawn, high-pitched complaining cry or sound
- نق زدن (neq zadan)to complain or protest with a whine or as if with a whine
- نالیدن (nâlidan)to utter a whine
Polish marudzić, pomarudzić
- marudzićto complain or protest with a whine or as if with a whine
- pomarudzićto complain or protest with a whine or as if with a whine
- marudzićto utter a whine
Portuguese ganido, ganir
- ganidolong-drawn, high-pitched complaining cry or sound
- ganirto make a sound resembling such a cry
- lamuriarto complain or protest with a whine or as if with a whine
- ganirto utter a whine
Romanian văietare, văitare
- văietarelong-drawn, high-pitched complaining cry or sound
- văitarelong-drawn, high-pitched complaining cry or sound
- tânguirelong-drawn, high-pitched complaining cry or sound
- văitato complain or protest with a whine or as if with a whine
- văietato complain or protest with a whine or as if with a whine
- jeluito complain or protest with a whine or as if with a whine
- văitato utter a whine
- văietato utter a whine
- tânguito utter a whine
Russian вой, выть
- вой (voj)long-drawn, high-pitched complaining cry or sound
- выть (vytʹ)to make a sound resembling such a cry
- завыть (zavytʹ)to make a sound resembling such a cry
- плакаться (plakatʹsja)to complain or protest with a whine or as if with a whine
- скулить (skulitʹ)to complain or protest with a whine or as if with a whine
- ~ с воемto move with a whining sound
- прорыдать (prorydatʹ)to utter with the sound of a whine
- выть (vytʹ)to utter a whine
- завывать (zavyvatʹ)to utter a whine
- взвывать (vzvyvatʹ)to utter a whine
Slovak kvílenie, kvíliť
- kvílenielong-drawn, high-pitched complaining cry or sound
- kvíliťto utter a whine
Spanish gimoteo, lloriqueo
- gimoteolong-drawn, high-pitched complaining cry or sound
- lloriqueolong-drawn, high-pitched complaining cry or sound
- gemirto make a sound resembling such a cry
- gimotearto complain or protest with a whine or as if with a whine
- lloriquearto complain or protest with a whine or as if with a whine
- mañosearto complain or protest with a whine or as if with a whine
- gimotearto utter a whine
- lloriquearto utter a whine
- llorisquearto utter a whine
- mañosearto utter a whine
Swedish gnälla
- gnällalong-drawn, high-pitched complaining cry or sound
Tamil சிணுங்கல், மூக்காலழு
- சிணுங்கல் (ciṇuṅkal)long-drawn, high-pitched complaining cry or sound
- மூக்காலழு (mūkkālaḻu)to complain or protest with a whine or as if with a whine
- சிணுங்கு (ciṇuṅku)to utter a whine
- மூக்காலழு (mūkkālaḻu)to utter a whine
Turkish inilti, inleyiş
- iniltilong-drawn, high-pitched complaining cry or sound
- inleyişlong-drawn, high-pitched complaining cry or sound
- inlemelong-drawn, high-pitched complaining cry or sound
- sızlanmalong-drawn, high-pitched complaining cry or sound
- inlemekto utter a whine
Vietnamese thở dài, than vãn
- thở dàilong-drawn, high-pitched complaining cry or sound
- than vãnto complain or protest with a whine or as if with a whine
- rên rỉto utter a whine
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with whine
Sounds the same
Cite this entry
whine. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/whine
“whine.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/whine. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “whine,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/whine.
Source: whine on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.