whine (hwīn, wīn)

v., whined, whin·ing, whines.

v.intr.

1. To utter a plaintive, high-pitched, protracted sound, as in pain, fear, supplication, or complaint.
2. To complain or protest in a childish fashion.
3. To produce a sustained noise of relatively high pitch: jet engines whining.

v.tr.
To utter with a whine.

n.

1. The act of whining.
2. A whining sound.
3. A complaint uttered in a plaintive tone.

[Middle English whinen, from Old English hwīnan, to make a whizzing sound.]

whiner whin'er n.
whiningly whin'ing·ly adv.
whiny whin'y or whin'ey adj.

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

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