Thesaurus.com
Dictionary.com
Definitions

gripe

[grahyp] / graɪp /






Frequently Asked Questions

What is another word for gripe?
Gripe is an informal word meaning to complain, especially naggingly or about petty things. Similarly informal verbs include grumble, grouse, and carp. The slang verb bellyache is even more informal. Someone who’s griping might be said to be groaning and moaning. Gripe can also be used as a noun meaning a complaint (especially a petty one). A gripe is a kind of grievance.
How do you use gripe in a sentence?
Gripe is pretty informal and is usually used in negative contexts. Here are some examples of gripe in a sentence:
  • He always gripes about his old job—he should just move on.
  • Quit your griping and just get to work!
  • I have a few gripes about the way things were handled, but they’re pretty minor.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

When Mary would gripe, she said, her dad would laugh or “just keep working.”

From Los Angeles Times Sep. 4, 2026

The biggest gripe from VAR detractors is that forensic dissections of game footage take the action out of their high-speed context.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 13, 2026

That was Ainsley’s chief gripe about him: “He said he cared. He said he listened. He didn’t mean any of it. He used me.”

From Salon May 22, 2026

The union's main gripe is that total government spending on NHS dentistry in England has been falling over the past decade, once inflation is taken into account.

From BBC Mar. 24, 2026

I couldn’t really gripe to Ali too much.

From "The Stars Beneath Our Feet" by David Barclay Moore

Most of the gripes against the concert-promoting giant could be resolved with a solution that has nothing to with antitrust.

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 28, 2026

It’s a “three-ring circus”: the merits docket, the shadow docket, and the justices’ increasingly public intramural snipings and gripes.

From Slate May 30, 2026

This was an increase from just over 70,000 in 2020-21, with one of the main gripes about poor response times.

From BBC May 14, 2026

The announcement of Dudamel’s first New York season, while praiseworthy, brought an earful of gripes about his speaking in platitudes from hardcore New Yorkers unimpressed by uplift.

From Los Angeles Times Apr. 3, 2026

If he gripes about the way she handled Thanksgiving, then he has to prove he can do a better job.

From "Speak" by Laurie Halse Anderson

Some traders had griped that such markets were a sucker’s game because the shows are usually recorded before a studio audience several hours before airtime.

From The Wall Street Journal Feb. 24, 2026

In perhaps the weirdest admission, Katie Miller griped that her husband wears shoes in the house against her will, which she dislikes because “the kids eat off the floor.”

From Salon Feb. 16, 2026

He never griped that he was pitching on short rest, or pitching with a bum arm, or pitching with a terrible offense and an untrustworthy bullpen.

From Los Angeles Times Sep. 18, 2025

“The system here is broken on many levels,” she griped in a statement.

From Slate Sep. 4, 2025

The bald man griped about his pain while others tried to organize the space and luggage.

From "Between Shades of Gray" by Ruta Sepetys

The 56-year-old native of upstate New York left his first term on the board prematurely in 2011, griping over policy differences.

From Barron's May 12, 2026

There was much intra-Senate grousing and griping and bickering in the days preceding Friday morning’s vote.

From Slate Mar. 28, 2026

Detroit has spent the season griping with referees, tussling with opponents and piling up 66 technicals, by far the highest number in the league.

From The Wall Street Journal Mar. 4, 2026

Sweeney has been the subject of online griping since her American Eagle campaign debuted.

From Salon Aug. 3, 2025

I am not griping about publicity for myself.

From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey




Vocabulary lists containing gripe


Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Dictionary.com's Learning Companion

Go beyond just looking up words.
Remember them forever with VocabTrainer.

Start training