whimper
part of speech
verb (whimper, whimpers, whimpered, whimpering); noun (a whimper, whimpers)
meaning for a pupil
1) To whimper means to make small, weak crying sounds because you are scared, hurt or sad. tree →
2) A whimper is such a small, quiet cry. tree →
3) «Not with a bang but a whimper» means ending quietly and weakly, not in a big way. tree →
sense in the lessons
In stories, puppies, babies and frightened characters whimper; the word tells the reader someone is scared or in pain but trying to be quiet. In everyday life, a whimpering dog may be hurt or lonely. Phrases: «whimper softly», «without a whimper» (without complaining).
examples
- The puppy whimpered at the door. tree →
- The little boy whimpered when he grazed his knee. tree →
- We heard a whimper from under the bed. tree →
- The lost kitten was whimpering in the rain. tree →
- She had the injection without a whimper. tree →
- The storm ended not with a bang but a whimper. tree →
- "Don't tell papa and mamma," she whimpered; "they would be angry." tree →
note
Regular verb: whimpered. The «wh» is said like «w». A whimper is quieter than a sob or a wail. «Without a whimper» = without complaining.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «whimper» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.