What it means
To whinge is to complain in that dragged-out, slightly annoying way where someone keeps banging on long after the problem stopped being that deep. It’s a proper everyday word in British, Australian and New Zealand English. You can throw it around jokingly with mates or use it with a sharper edge when someone’s really milking it.
Usage examples
"Oi, stop whingeing about the drizzle and get on the barbie. Chuck a hoodie on, grab a tinny, and quit sooking."
"He'll whinge about the weather, the traffic, the price of milk, anything to fill the silence really."
"Stop whingeing about the cold and put a jumper on, we're not turning the heating up in May."
"She's been whingeing all morning because her oat flat white went lukewarm. Have a sip and heal, babe."
"Don't start whingeing now, you said you were fine with the long way till the hill showed up."
Where it comes from
Whinge goes back to older northern English and Scots use, where it meant to whine or complain in a drawn-out way. It’s been in the language for centuries, then settled in as a solid everyday word in British English, later becoming common in Australian and New Zealand speech too.
Other ways to say it
This expression also appears in
