Meaning of complaint In English

• 0 a statement that something is wrong or not satisfactory:

  • We've received a complaint from one of our listeners about offensive language.

  • I've made a complaint (= formally complained) to the police about the noise.

  • [ + that ] We've had complaints that you've been playing your radio too loud.

  • Do you have any grounds for complaint (= reason to formally complain)?

• 1 an illness:

  • a heart/stomach complaint

• 2 a statement that something is wrong or not good enough, the act of complaining, or the thing you are complaining about:

  • [ U ] a letter of complaint

  • [ C ] Her only complaint is that she sometimes didn’t get enough heat in her apartment.

  • [ C ] He filed a complaint with the commission, charging discrimination based on his disability.

• 3 a written or spoken statement in which someone says that somebody has done something wrong or that something is not satisfactory:

  • lodge/make/receive a complaint The council has said that it received complaints but that it cannot disclose details.

  • deal with/handle complaints They have an efficient system in place for dealing with customer complaints.

  • complaint about sb/sth The gas company has promised to investigate the man's complaint about a quarterly bill for £1,500.

  • complaint against sb/sth Complaints against an employment agency should be made to the Employment Agencies Standards office.

• 4 the act of complaining, or a reason for someone to complain:

  • The biggest complaint about the new proposal is that it could increase costs.

  • cause/grounds for complaint On this occasion, shareholders have little cause for complaint.

  • We have received several letters of complaint.

• 5 a formal statement that someone has harmed somebody else or done something illegal, which must be proved in a court of law:

  • file/lodge a complaint A complaint alleging financial wrongdoing was lodged with the district attorney's office.