mourn

verb

ˈmȯrn 

mourned; mourning; mourns

intransitive verb

1

: to feel or express grief or sorrow

When he dies, people throughout the world will mourn.

2

: to show the customary signs of grief for a death

especially : to wear mourning

mourned for thirty days in black clothes

3

: to murmur mournfully

—used especially of doves

transitive verb

1

: to feel or express grief or sorrow for

mourned the death of his son

2

: to utter mournfully

let the whirlwind mourn its requiem

—W. S. Gilbert

mourner noun

mourningly

ˈmȯr-niŋ-lē 

adverb

Synonyms

• agonize
• anguish
• bleed
• grieve
• hurt
• sorrow
• suffer

Examples of mourn in a Sentence

She is still mourning her husband, who died last year.

Thousands of people mourned his death.

She was mourned by everyone who knew her.

She mourned the loss of her youth.

He still mourns the fact that he never went to college.

Recent Examples on the Web

Fans of Schmidt’s work have mourned her departure from the video app, while critics have celebrated it as a sign that tech companies are taking accountability and enforcing their policies. —Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 1 Nov. 2024

Former Olympic skiers mourned Lorenzi’s death after the International Ski and Snowboard Federation shared the news on social media Tuesday. —Sean Neumann, People.com, 29 Oct. 2024

Today our community mourns the loss of wildlife icon, the Queen of the Tetons, grizzly #399. —Alexa Robles-Gil, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Oct. 2024

Mourners gathered Tuesday night at Fall City United Methodist Church to mourn the Humistons and their children. —Christopher Cann, USA TODAY, 25 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English murnan; akin to Old High German mornēn to mourn, Greek mermēra care — more at memory

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Kids Definition

mourn

verb

ˈmō(ə)rn 

ˈmȯ(ə)rn

1

: to feel or show grief or sorrow especially over someone's death

2

: to display the customary signs of grief for a death especially by wearing mourning

mourner noun