gripe
gripe Lexical Profile
gripe Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A minor, persistent, or informal complaint about something perceived as unfair or annoying.
"My main gripe with the new software update is that the interface is much harder to navigate."
A sharp, pinching, spasmodic pain in the stomach or bowels (often used in the plural).
"The herbal remedy was traditionally given to infants to soothe stomach gripes."
An act of grasping or holding tightly; a firm grip or clutch (now archaic or literary).
"In the old ballad, the hero struggled to free himself from the monster's iron gripe."
• verb
To complain persistently or irritably about something minor or nagging.
"Commuters frequently gripe about the delays on the morning train line."
To annoy, irritate, or vex someone.
"What really gripes me is how they changed the schedule without consulting the staff."
To cause sharp, pinching, spasmodic pain in the bowels or stomach.
"Eating unripe fruit can gripe the stomach and cause severe discomfort."
• Rhymes for gripe
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Derived from Old English 'gripan', meaning to grasp, clutch, or seize, which shares a Proto-Germanic root with 'grip' and 'grope'. The sense shifted from a physical clutching to a pinching pain in the bowels, and eventually to the informal expression of annoyance or complaint.