Whine Meaning
/ˈwaɪ̯n/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
nounA long-drawn, high-pitched complaining cry or sound.
nounA peevish or self-pitying complaint or criticism.
Sentence Examples
Don't just whine, do something!
You sure do whine a lot.
Coil whine may sometimes be annoying, but it's usually harmless.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The child started to ____ because his ice cream fell on the ground.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Please don't ____ about the small problem, and instead try to find a way to fix it as soon as possible today.
Word Origin & History
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”)).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"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:
"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:
"[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:
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CEFR Practice Quiz
The child started to ____ because his ice cream fell on the ground.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Please don't ____ about the small problem, and instead try to find a way to fix it as soon as possible today.