1 [reporting verb] express dissatisfaction or annoyance about something: [with clause]:local authorities complained that they lacked sufficient resources [with direct speech]:‘You never listen to me,’ Larry complained [no object]:we all complained bitterly about the food
[no object] (of a structure or mechanism) groan or creak under strain.
[no object] literary make a mournful sound:let the warbling flute complain
2 [no object] (complain of) state that one is suffering from (a pain or other symptom of illness):her husband began to complain of headaches