complaint

noun

kuhm-PLAYNT/kəmˈpleɪnt/

5 meanings of complaint

1
nouncountable
A problem or worry, or something you think is wrong about a thing.
Like a small stone in your shoe: not huge, but it bothers you.
My only complaint about the new park is that it closes too early.
She had no complaints about the way the whole trip was planned.
Similargrievance, problem, concern, difficulty, objection
Note
2
noununcountable
The act of saying that you are unhappy about something.
Years of complaint from residents finally led to repairs on the broken road.
He fixed the leaking pipe without a single word of complaint.
Similarprotest, objection, criticism, grumbling
Oppositepraise, approval
Note
3
nouncountable
An illness or health problem in some part of the body.
Grandma has suffered from a chest complaint for many winters.
The doctor treated him for a minor stomach complaint and sent him home.
Similarailment, condition, disorder, illness, problem
Note
4
nouncountable
The first paper a person files to start a lawsuit, saying what the other side did wrong.
Like the opening move in a game that sets everything that follows in motion.
Her lawyer filed a complaint against the landlord over unpaid repairs.
The company had thirty days to answer the complaint in writing.
Similarpetition
Note
5
nouncountable
A first charge that one person makes against another, told to a court or judge.
She made a complaint to the magistrate about her neighbor's threats.
The officer recorded the complaint and opened an investigation that afternoon.
Similarcharge, accusation
Note

Practice

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Origin

This word came through Middle English and French from Latin planctus.