Etymology From a northern variant of Old English hwinsian (“to whine”), from Proto-West Germanic *hwinisōn (“to whine”), from Proto-West Germanic *hwīnan (“to whine”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱwey- (“to hiss, whistle, whisper”). Cognate with German winseln (“to whine, whimper”).
1
Commonwealth, Ireland, UK To whine; to complain, especially in an annoying or persistent manner.
Argh! He has been whinging about it all night, even though he knows there's nothing we can do.
I know it won't help but sometimes it feels better to whinge about the things that annoy me.
4 more examples
"'D' ye hear what's come ower ye now,' continued the virago, 'ye whingeing Whig carles? D'ye hear wha's coming to cow yer cracks?"1814 July 7, [Walter Scott], chapter I, in Waverley; or, ’Tis Sixty Years Since. […], volume II, Edinburgh: […] James Ballantyne and Co. for Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, →OCLC:
You crossed her last wish in death and yet you sulk with me because I don’t whinge like some hired mute from Lalouette’s.1922 February, James Joyce, “[Episode 1]”, in Ulysses, Paris: Shakespeare and Company, […], →OCLC:
Mostly, they were wingeing about the lousy cook and the same thing served too often1992, Sky Phillips, Secret mission to Melbourne, November, 1941, page 45:
His wife will winge her bloody head off, but Nev will come good.1993, Michael Fisher, The Nightmare Man, page 169:
whinge
noun
Etymology From a northern variant of Old English hwinsian (“to whine”), from Proto-West Germanic *hwinisōn (“to whine”), from Proto-West Germanic *hwīnan (“to whine”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱwey- (“to hiss, whistle, whisper”). Cognate with German winseln (“to whine, whimper”).