whine
whine — noun
- whinesingular
- whinesplural
1. a drawn-out, thin, high noise made by a person, an animal, or a machine — for ex
a drawn-out, thin, high noise made by a person, an animal, or a machine — for example the cry of a tired toddler or the hum of an electric drill.
Hoa heard the soft whine of her puppy waiting outside the bedroom door.
the whine of [animal]
A high-pitched whine came from the old fridge every time it switched on.
a high-pitched whine from [machine]
Imran could hear the whine of the dentist's drill from the waiting room.
There was a thin whine in the baby's voice that worried his mother.
文法句型
a whine of [noun]
用法筆記
Often used with 'of' to name what makes the sound: 'the whine of an engine', 'the whine of a mosquito'.
常見錯誤
2. an annoying complaint, said in a long, sad tone of voice that makes the speaker
an annoying complaint, said in a long, sad tone of voice that makes the speaker sound childish or self-pitying.
Felipe answered his sister's whine about the long car ride with a sigh.
a whine about [topic]
The manager was tired of the daily whine over coffee being too weak.
a whine over/about [topic]
Romi let out a long whine when her mother told her to finish her homework.
Mr. Halvorsen shut his office door to escape another whine about the broken air conditioner.
- praise
the opposite act — expressing approval rather than complaint
文法句型
a whine about [noun]
用法筆記
Carries a negative judgement: calling someone's words a 'whine' suggests the complaint is unreasonable or petty. Distinguish from sense 1, which describes a sound, not the content.
常見錯誤
whine — verb
- whinepresent simple I / you / we / they
- whineshe / she / it
- whinedpast simple
- whining-ing form
1. to produce a long, thin, high noise — the kind a dog makes when locked out, or t
to produce a long, thin, high noise — the kind a dog makes when locked out, or that an engine makes when working too hard.
The old dog began to whine at the back door, asking to come inside.
whine at [place]
Jason's motorbike whined loudly as he pushed it up the steep hill.
whine + adverb of manner
Mosquitoes whined around the tent all night and kept Adina awake.
The fan in the laptop started to whine whenever Christopher opened a video.
文法句型
[subject] whine
用法筆記
Subject is typically a small animal, an insect, or a piece of machinery under strain. Not used for deep or pleasant sounds.
常見錯誤
2. to complain again and again in a sad, childish tone of voice, especially over th
to complain again and again in a sad, childish tone of voice, especially over things other people see as small or unimportant.
Tariq whined that his older brother always got the bigger slice of cake.
whine + that-clause
Stop whining about the homework and just sit down and finish it.
imperative: stop whining about [topic]
Élise whined to her grandmother every time the soup was too hot.
The players whined about the referee instead of focusing on the next play.
Isabela whined that nobody had invited her to the weekend trip.
文法句型
whine about + noun
whine that + clause
用法筆記
Strongly negative — calling someone 'whining' implies their complaints are annoying and unwarranted. Often paired with 'stop' in an imperative ('stop whining').
常見錯誤
3. (of a vehicle, machine, or fast-moving object) to travel along while giving off
(of a vehicle, machine, or fast-moving object) to travel along while giving off a long, high noise — like a racing car going past, or a bullet passing through the air.
A small drone whined overhead as Obi tried to take photographs of the lake.
whine + directional adverb (overhead)
The bullet whined past the soldier's helmet and struck the wall behind him.
whine past + noun phrase
Race cars whined around the track as the crowd rose to its feet.
An old tram whined up the hill, slow and noisy in the morning rain.
文法句型
whine + directional adverb/phrase
用法筆記
Always paired with a directional adverb or prepositional phrase ('past', 'overhead', 'around', 'up the hill'). Without one, the verb defaults to sense 1.