Standard Lemma guide

whinge

noun · verb · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • wĭnj h
  • wĭnZH h
  • /(h)wɪnd͡ʒ/
  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • UK: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɪndʒ

1

noun

Meaning 1

A cry.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Australia, Ireland, New-Zealand, UK

Examples

  • Her whinges grew even shriller and more annoying the longer we had to listen to them.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A peevish complaint.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Australia, Ireland, New-Zealand, UK

Examples

  • I know you don't like it, but your whinges won't solve the problem!

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

To whine; to complain, especially in an annoying or persistent manner.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Commonwealth, Ireland, UK

Examples

  • Argh! He has been whinging about it all night, even though he knows there's nothing we can do.
  • I know it won't help but sometimes it feels better to whinge about the things that annoy me.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From a northern variant of Old English hwinsian (“to whine”), from Proto-West Germanic *hwinisōn (“to whine”), from Proto-West Germanic *hwīnan (“to whine”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱwey- (“to hiss, whistle, whisper”). Cognate with German winseln (“to whine, whimper”).

Across languages

Translations

20 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Dutch: mopperen — to complain or protest
  • Dutch: zeuren — to complain or protest
  • Dutch: zagen — to complain or protest
  • Finnish: kitistä — to complain or protest
  • Finnish: narista — to complain or protest
  • Finnish: inistä — to complain or protest
  • German: jammern — to complain or protest
  • German: meckern — to complain or protest
  • German: plärren — to complain or protest
  • Greek: παραπονιέμαι (paraponiémai) — to complain or protest
  • Greek: παραπονούμαι (paraponoúmai) — to complain or protest
  • Hindi: कराहना (karāhnā) — to complain or protest
  • Hungarian: nyavalyog — to complain or protest
  • Japanese: 泣き事 (nakigoto) — to complain or protest
  • Japanese: 泣き事を言う (nakigoto o iu) — to complain or protest
  • Russian: пла́каться (plákatʹsja) — to complain or protest
  • Russian: скули́ть (skulítʹ) — to complain or protest
  • Russian: хны́кать (xnýkatʹ) — to complain or protest
  • Swedish: klaga — to complain or protest
  • Swedish: gnälla — to complain or protest