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whined

Verb
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

To make a high, weak, complaining sound. Here it describes the sentry’s voice in pain.

Detailed Definition
To whine means to cry or speak in a thin, distressed, complaining way. In this poem, the verb captures the sentry’s frightened, wounded voice and adds to the sense of helplessness.
Example
Example in poetry:
“We dredged him up, for killed, until he whined” contrasts an expected cry with a thin, weak sound; “The puppy whined beneath the chair” uses the literal animal voice; “The kettle whined on the blue flame” transfers the verb to machinery; “The wind whined through broken panes” creates an anxious auditory image
Additional Notes
The usage is ordinary, but the poem’s older sense of a weak, plaintive cry may not be immediately clear to all readers.; Found in the poem, The Sentry by Wilfred Owen
Also Known As
complained lamented moaned
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