whined; whining
1
a
: to utter a high-pitched plaintive or distressed cry
b
: to make a sound similar to such a cry
the wind whined in the chimney
2
: to complain with or as if with a whine
always whining about the weather
3
: to move or proceed with the sound of a whine
the bullet whined … across the ice—
Berton Roueché
Berton Roueché
: to utter or express with or as if with a whine
whiner
noun
1
a
: a prolonged high-pitched cry usually expressive of distress or pain
b
: a sound resembling such a cry
2
: a complaint uttered with or as if with a whine
Synonyms
Examples of whine in a Sentence
Verb
He's always whining about the weather.
Quit whining and finish your dinner.
“I want to leave now,” she whined.
The workers were whining that the office was too cold.
The dog was whining because it wanted to go out.
The electric saw whined as it cut through the wood.
Noun
the whine of a jet engine
the perennial whine that movies aren't as good as they used to be
Recent Examples on the WebJoyce Carol Oates, The New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2024
And the delicious sound of a whining supercharger is a bonus.
—Kristin Shaw, Popular Science, 3 Apr. 2024
As part of the intake stroke, a supercharger pulls and squeezes air into the engine to create that beastly whine.
—Kristin Shaw, Popular Science, 3 Apr. 2024
Dogs left alone by their owners often whine due to loneliness, howl and bark, disturbing the other tenants.
—Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 8 Mar. 2024
The depth and breadth of torque, accompanied by supercharger whine up front and burbling exhaust in back, is something no other engine offers.
—Karl Brauer, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2024
The electric screwdriver whined, stopped, and whined again.
—Addie Citchens, The New Yorker, 5 Feb. 2024
Dentists have seen their fair share of tantrums so don’t be embarrassed if your child lashes out or whines once in the chair.
—Bevone Ritchie, Miami Herald, 30 Jan. 2024
Or maybe, like Larry opening up a spite store at the end of Season Ten, David is moving in the same general direction as a way to thumb his nose at all the viewers who’ve been whining about the end of Seinfeld for the last 26 years.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 29 Jan. 2024
Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 14 Feb. 2024
Like how she and her siblings were often roused from their dreams on weekend mornings by the sound of garlic being pummeled in a mortar and pestle, or the whine of chickpeas passing through a meat grinder to become falafel.
—Jordan P. Hickey, Longreads, 22 Feb. 2024
Representatives’ prayers and the whine of the air-filtration hood motors echoed in the chamber.
—Sarah D. Wire, Los Angeles Times, 4 Jan. 2024
Even when brisk prairie winds blow, the shrill whine of the fans within Applied Digital’s Bitcoin mine can be heard a half-mile away.
—Gabriel J.x. Dance Zach Levitt, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2023
Overhead is the ubiquitous whine of Israeli drones.
—Alexander Smith, NBC News, 14 Feb. 2024
Advertisement Over the whine of the motor, Dre Elmore explained that many of the houseboat people seem to be live-aboard artists and musicians.
—Christopher Reynolds, Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan. 2024
Related Stories Christine Lahti Joins Cast of 'Russian Troll Farm: A Workplace Comedy' Off-Broadway (Exclusive)
Appropriate begins with the shrill whine of cicadas.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Dec. 2023
This reduced the whine but did not remove it entirely.
—IEEE Spectrum, 26 Nov. 2023
Verb
The wife had never heard this man plead or whimper or whine.
—Joyce Carol Oates, The New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2024
And the delicious sound of a whining supercharger is a bonus.
—Kristin Shaw, Popular Science, 3 Apr. 2024
As part of the intake stroke, a supercharger pulls and squeezes air into the engine to create that beastly whine.
—Kristin Shaw, Popular Science, 3 Apr. 2024
Dogs left alone by their owners often whine due to loneliness, howl and bark, disturbing the other tenants.
—Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 8 Mar. 2024
The depth and breadth of torque, accompanied by supercharger whine up front and burbling exhaust in back, is something no other engine offers.
—Karl Brauer, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2024
The electric screwdriver whined, stopped, and whined again.
—Addie Citchens, The New Yorker, 5 Feb. 2024
Dentists have seen their fair share of tantrums so don’t be embarrassed if your child lashes out or whines once in the chair.
—Bevone Ritchie, Miami Herald, 30 Jan. 2024
Or maybe, like Larry opening up a spite store at the end of Season Ten, David is moving in the same general direction as a way to thumb his nose at all the viewers who’ve been whining about the end of Seinfeld for the last 26 years.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 29 Jan. 2024
Noun
Over the whine of the motor, Dre Elmore explained that many of the houseboat people seem to be live-aboard artists and musicians.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 14 Feb. 2024
Like how she and her siblings were often roused from their dreams on weekend mornings by the sound of garlic being pummeled in a mortar and pestle, or the whine of chickpeas passing through a meat grinder to become falafel.
—Jordan P. Hickey, Longreads, 22 Feb. 2024
Representatives’ prayers and the whine of the air-filtration hood motors echoed in the chamber.
—Sarah D. Wire, Los Angeles Times, 4 Jan. 2024
Even when brisk prairie winds blow, the shrill whine of the fans within Applied Digital’s Bitcoin mine can be heard a half-mile away.
—Gabriel J.x. Dance Zach Levitt, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2023
Overhead is the ubiquitous whine of Israeli drones.
—Alexander Smith, NBC News, 14 Feb. 2024
Advertisement Over the whine of the motor, Dre Elmore explained that many of the houseboat people seem to be live-aboard artists and musicians.
—Christopher Reynolds, Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan. 2024
Related Stories Christine Lahti Joins Cast of 'Russian Troll Farm: A Workplace Comedy' Off-Broadway (Exclusive)
Appropriate begins with the shrill whine of cicadas.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Dec. 2023
This reduced the whine but did not remove it entirely.
—IEEE Spectrum, 26 Nov. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'whine.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near whine
Cite this Entry
“Whine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whine. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
whine
1 of 2 verb
ˈhwīn 
ˈwīn
whined; whining
1
: to make a shrill troubled cry or a similar sound
a child whining
the electric saw whined as it cut the wood
2
: to complain with or as if with a whine
always whining about his chores
whiner
noun
whine
2 of 2 noun1
: a whining cry or sound
2
: a complaint uttered with or as if with a whine
whiny
adjective
ˈhwi-nē
ˈwī-
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