- [countable] a reason for not being satisfied; a statement that somebody makes saying that they are not satisfied
- a formal complaint
- She said the police had immediately investigated the complaint.
- complaint about somebody/something I'd like to make a complaint about the noise.
- (formal) to file/lodge (= make) a complaint
- The most common complaint is about poor service.
- complaint of something The Tribunal upheld his complaint of discrimination.
- complaint against somebody/something I believe you have a complaint against one of our nurses.
- complaint to somebody They said their complaints to the police were often not acted on.
- complaint from somebody Council bosses said they would respond to complaints from residents.
- complaint from somebody about something We received a number of complaints from customers about the lack of parking facilities.
- complaint by somebody ‘Complaints by patients are now at their lowest level,’ she said.
- complaint (that…) a complaint that he had been unfairly treated
- My only complaint is that the website is a little difficult to use.
- We have a clear and effective complaints procedure.
Extra Examples- I have a complaint about the food.
- I haven't heard any complaints about the approach we're taking.
- One of the chief complaints is the cost.
- The tribunal heard complaints against the director.
- They filed a complaint with the Commission.
- We have had some serious complaints from parents.
- a complaint about working conditions
- a complaint against the police
- a complaint from a customer
- a complaint from the neighbours
- a complaint of unfair dismissal
- complaints arising from late payment
- to make a complaint to the authorities
- I believe you have a serious complaint against one of our nurses.
- The couple have lodged an official complaint against the hospital.
- The police have an independent complaints procedure to deal with such issues.
- [uncountable] the act of complaining
- I can see no grounds for complaint.
- The way I was treated gave me no cause for complaint.
- I'm planning to write a formal letter of complaint.
- without complaint Workers were expected to accept pay cuts without complaint.
Express Yourself Making a complaintMaking a complaintYou can express your dissatisfaction when something you buy is of poor quality or the standard of service you receive is not good enough in various ways:- I'm afraid I'm not satisfied with this.
- I'm sorry. This isn't acceptable. We've been waiting half an hour.
- That's not good enough. I need an appointment today.
- I'd like to make a complaint. The phone I bought doesn't work.
- Excuse me—this isn't what I asked for. I ordered the soup, not the salad.
- I'd like to speak to the manager. I've got a complaint about something I bought.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- serious
- common
- familiar
- …
- have
- bring
- file
- …
- arise
- concern something
- relate to something
- …
- complaint procedure
- complaints procedure
- complaint system
- …
- complaint about
- complaint against
- complaint from
- …
- cause for complaint
- grounds for complaint
- a chorus of complaint
- …
- [countable] an illness, especially one that is not serious, and often one that affects a particular part of the body
- He has a minor skin complaint.
Extra ExamplesTopics Health problemsc2- Not being able to sleep at night is a very common complaint.
- He suffers from a skin complaint called ‘rosacea’.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- minor
- chronic
- common
- …
- have
- suffer from
Word Originlate Middle English: from Old French complainte, feminine past participle of complaindre ‘to lament’, from medieval Latin complangere ‘bewail’, from Latin com- (expressing intensive force) + plangere ‘to lament’.
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complaint