Link Centre Dictionary

complaint

comp·laint

UK/kəmˈpleɪnt/ US/kʌˈmpleɪnt/ common

noun

1.

an often persistent bodily disorder or disease; a cause for complaining

Synonyms
2.

(formerly) a loud cry (or repeated cries) of pain or rage or sorrow

3.
4.

(civil law) the first pleading of the plaintiff setting out the facts on which the claim for relief is based

5.

(criminal law) a pleading describing some wrong or offense

  • “he was arrested on a charge of larceny”
Synonyms

Origin

From Middle English compleynte, from Anglo-Norman compleint, from Old French compleindre, eventually from Latin planctus (whence plaint).

Phrases

  • bill of complaint
  • doorknob complaint
  • summer complaint

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

Narrower terms

Parts

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.