verb
gripe
gryp
verb
1
To complain, often persistently about something minor.
"He's always griping about the weather."
"She griped to her friend about the long commute."
noun
1
A complaint, especially a small or petty one.
"My only gripe with the hotel was the slow Wi-Fi."
How to Use Gripe
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA minor complaint, or the act of grumbling about something.
Common mistake
Don't confuse with "grip" (to hold firmly) — they share a root but have split meanings.
Easily confused with
Common pairings
a minor gripe
gripe about something
my only gripe
Word Forms
griped past tense, grope past tense, gripen past tense, gripes plural, gripes singular
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Etymology
From Old English grīpan ("to grasp"); the "complain" sense developed later, via an old meaning of griping stomach pains — a gripe was originally a pinching or cramping pain before it came to mean a nagging complaint.