Definition of WHINE

whine

Plural: whine, whined, whines

Noun

  • a complaint uttered in a plaintive whining way
  • A long-drawn, high-pitched complaining cry or sound.
  • A complaint or criticism.

Verb

  • move with a whining sound
  • talk in a tearful manner
  • make a high-pitched, screeching noise
  • complain whiningly
  • To utter a high-pitched cry.
  • To make a sound resembling such a cry.
  • To complain or protest with a whine (compare whinge) or as if with a whine.
  • To move with a whining sound.
  • To utter with the sound of a whine.

Examples

  • "I need to have a quick whine about my boss before we start talking about the holiday."
  • "Kelly Queen was whining that the boss made him put on his tie."
  • "The child whined all his complaints."
  • "The jet engines whined at take off."
  • "The jet whined into the air."
  • "The wind whined and moaned through the trees."

Origin / Etymology

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”)).

Scrabble Score: 11

whine is a valid Scrabble (US) TWL word
whine is a valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
whine is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 11

whine is a valid Words With Friends word