What does whine mean?
Whine is both a verb and a noun for a plaintive complaint or a sustained, high-pitched sound. As a verb, it commonly describes someone complaining in a persistent, querulous, or excessively mournful manner: a child may whine to be taken home, while a customer may whine about poor service. This use often carries a mildly critical or dismissive connotation, although the word can also be relatively neutral. As a noun, a whine may be a grievance expressed in that tone or the high-pitched noise produced by a dog, vehicle, or piece of machinery. The word is therefore useful in both figurative and literal contexts. Its sense can range from describing an annoying human complaint to identifying an unmistakable acoustic feature, making it especially effective in literary description and informal criticism.
To complain in a plaintive, persistent, or querulous manner; to produce a sustained high-pitched sound.
"Passengers whined about the delay while the train waited for a replacement engine."
The verb is transitive when it takes a subject or object, as in “she whined about the noise,” and intransitive when it means to make a high-pitched sound.
A plaintive complaint or grievance; a sustained, high-pitched sound.
"The dog answered with a thin whine from behind the gate."
The noun can describe a person's complaint, an animal's vocalization, or a mechanical sound.
Whines is the standard plural; in the sound sense, it refers to separate or successive high-pitched sounds.
"The dog let out two thin whines."
From a dog's plaintive cry to the whine of an engine, one word covers sounds that are sharp, continuous, and difficult to ignore.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of whine
The English verb descends from Old English hwīnan, meaning “to whine,” and continued in use through Middle English. It belongs to Proto-Germanic *hwīnaną and has cognates in languages including Old Norse, Old High German, Danish, and Swedish; its ultimate Indo-European root is associated with hissing or squeaking. During the early modern period, whine developed more clearly in the sense of complaining in a plaintive tone, while noun uses arose for both the vocal sound and the complaint itself.
Related word forms
How whine is actually used
When describing a person's complaint, whine is usually informal and often dismissive, suggesting a petulant or excessively sorrowful manner. Its sound-related uses can be neutral and commonly describe animals, vehicles, machinery, or other sources of sustained high-pitched noise. There is no significant British–US difference in its general usage.
Easily confused with whine
Whine is a high-pitched complaint or sound, whereas wine is an alcoholic drink made from fermented grapes.