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whine

verb · noun

Simple meaning

Make a high-pitched, screeching noise.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

wyn
US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈwaɪn

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

verb

  1. Make a high-pitched, screeching noise

  2. intransitive

    To utter a high-pitched cry.

  3. intransitive

    To complain or protest with a whine (compare whinge) or as if with a whine.

  4. intransitive

    To make a sound resembling such a cry.

  5. Complain whiningly

  6. intransitive

    To move with a whining sound.

noun

  1. A complaint uttered in a plaintive whining way

  2. A long-drawn, high-pitched complaining cry or sound.

  3. A complaint or criticism.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
C1 · Advanced (estimated)
Frequency
Uncommon
Typical Use
Primarily written

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: Make a high-pitched, screeching noise

Used this way, whine is a reasonably familiar word with a clearly unfavourable pull. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Negative
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Gentle
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
Serious and weighty
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Nearby words

  • grizzle , more casual, better suited to speech than writing

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

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More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

Sense: make a high-pitched or screeching noise

whimpergrizzleInformal

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.