GRIPE
What does "GRIPE" mean?
To complain about something in a persistent, petty, or grumbling way.
Meanings
- To grumble or complain, especially about trivial things. He's always griping about the weather. informal
- A minor complaint or grievance. My only gripe with the hotel was the slow elevator. informal
- A sharp pain in the bowels or stomach. The baby cried with colicky gripes.
Did you know?
- To 'gripe' once meant to seize or clutch — the same root as 'grip' — and the modern sense of nagging complaint grew from the idea of a gripping pain in the gut.
Word origin
From Old English 'grīpan' (to seize, grasp); the sense of complaining grew from the idea of a clutching, gripping internal pain — the same root as 'grip' and 'grasp'.
Remember it
GRIPE is a GRIP on a complaint you won't let go of, plus an E.
A little poem
Small as a stone in the heel of a day-
I name it loudly, and limp anyway.
couplet
Wordplay
- The baby and the customer-service line had the same problem: nonstop gripes.
What it teaches
A gripe is a complaint with nowhere to go; aim it at a fix and it becomes useful.
Quick facts
What does GRIPE mean?
To complain about something in a persistent, petty, or grumbling way.
Is GRIPE a valid word?
Yes — GRIPE is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.
How many letters is GRIPE?
GRIPE has 5 letters and 1 syllable.
Where does GRIPE come from?
From Old English 'grīpan' (to seize, grasp); the sense of complaining grew from the idea of a clutching, gripping internal pain — the same root as 'grip' and 'grasp'.
What can GRIPE teach us?
A gripe is a complaint with nowhere to go; aim it at a fix and it becomes useful.
How players do
Be the first to solve it.