whimper
Americanverb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
noun
verb
-
(intr) to cry, sob, or whine softly or intermittently
-
to complain or say (something) in a whining plaintive way
noun
Other Word Forms
- unwhimpering adjective
- unwhimperingly adverb
- whimperer noun
- whimpering noun
- whimperingly adverb
Etymology
Origin of whimper
1505–15; obsolete whimp to whine + -er 6
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Sri Lanka needed an emphatic win to stay alive but instead exited with a whimper, limping to 107-8 chasing New Zealand's 168-7.
From Barron's
Standing on the rim of the hole and peering down at me, he started whining and whimpering and fidgeting around.
From Literature
The baby in my arms had been squirming and whimpering all this while, but suddenly he exploded in shrill wails.
From Literature
It was just an optical illusion, just because I was running, just because I’m worried about whoever made that cry or whimper.
From Literature
He made a whimpering sound and held his leg with a dramatic flair, as if Danny had wounded him mortally.
From Literature
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
