What does "gripe" mean?
A complaint, often a petty or trivial one.
Gripe
/ɡɹaɪp/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A complaint, often a petty or trivial one.
- Grammar: gripe is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: beef, abduct, ache, aching.
- Useful contrasts: acclaim, applaud, approval.
- Usage evidence: Don't gripe about petty stuff like this!
How to use "gripe"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "gripe" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "gripe" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "gripe" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "gripe" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "gripe" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "beef" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "gripe", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A complaint, often a petty or trivial one.
- 2 Alternative form of grype. alt-of, alternative
- 3 informal terms for objecting wordnet
- 4 A wire rope, often used on davits and other life raft launching systems.
- 5 Grasp; clutch; grip. obsolete
"A barren sceptre in my gripe."
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 That which is grasped; a handle; a grip. obsolete
"the gripe of a sword"
- 7 A device for grasping or holding anything; a brake to stop a wheel. dated
- 8 Oppression; cruel exaction; affliction; pinching distress. obsolete
"the gripe of poverty"
- 9 Pinching and spasmodic pain in the intestines. in-plural
Verb
- 1 To complain; to whine. informal, intransitive
"In “Treehouse Of Horror” episodes, the rules aren’t just different—they don’t even exist. If writers want Homer to kill Flanders or for a segment to end with a marriage between a woman and a giant ape, they can do so without worrying about continuity or consistency or fans griping that the gang is behaving out of character."
- 2 complain wordnet
- 3 To annoy or bother. informal, transitive
"What's griping you?"
- 4 To tend to come up into the wind, as a ship which, when sailing close-hauled, requires constant labour at the helm.
- 5 To pinch; to distress. Specifically, to cause pinching and spasmodic pain to the bowels of, as by the effects of certain purgative or indigestible substances. obsolete, transitive
"How inly sorrow gripes his soul."
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 To suffer griping pains. intransitive
"the griping of an hungry belly"
- 7 To make a grab (to, towards, at or upon something). intransitive, obsolete
"Therefore, everyman, look to that last end that is thy death and the dust that gripeth on every man that is born of woman for as he came naked forth from his mother's womb so naked shall he wend him at the last for to go as he came."
- 8 To seize or grasp. archaic, transitive
"Wouldst thou gripe both gain and pleasure?"
Example
"Don't gripe about petty stuff like this!"
Common questions
What is a synonym for "gripe"?
Common synonyms include: beef, abduct, ache, aching, acquire, adhere to.
How do you use "gripe" in a sentence?
Don't gripe about petty stuff like this!
How do you pronounce "gripe"?
Pronounced /ɡɹaɪp/.
Etymology
From Middle English gripen, from Old English grīpan, from Proto-Germanic *grīpaną, from Proto-Indo-European *gʰreyb- (“to grab, grasp”). Cognate with West Frisian gripe, Low German griepen, Dutch grijpen, German greifen, Danish gribe, Swedish gripa. See also grip, grope.