lament

1 of 2

verb

la·​ment lə-ˈment How to pronounce lament (audio)
lamented; lamenting; laments

intransitive verb

: to mourn aloud : wail
nightingales lament without ceasingL. P. Smith

transitive verb

1
: to express sorrow, mourning, or regret for often demonstratively : mourn
… must regret the imprudence, lament the result …Jane Austen
2
: to regret strongly
He lamented his decision not to go to college.

lament

2 of 2

noun

1
: a crying out in grief : wailing
2
3
Choose the Right Synonym for lament

deplore, lament, bewail, bemoan mean to express grief or sorrow for something.

deplore implies regret for the loss or impairment of something of value.

deplores the breakdown in family values

lament implies a profound or demonstrative expression of sorrow.

lamenting the loss of their only child

bewail and bemoan imply sorrow, disappointment, or protest finding outlet in words or cries, bewail commonly suggesting loudness, and bemoan lugubriousness.

fans bewailed the defeat
purists bemoaning the corruption of the language

Examples of lament in a Sentence

Verb She lamented over the loss of her best friend. “I've lost my best friend!” she lamented. Noun The poem is a lament for a lost love. the national lament that was heard when the beloved singer perished in the crash
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Watch on Deadline Cast members have lamented the network’s decision to shutter a broadcast television show that still commanded a large audience. Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 18 Oct. 2024 The announcement comes days after Tyler infamously lamented about fans badgering him for new music online. Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 17 Oct. 2024
Noun
The themes of Game 2 were laments about pitches gone awry for a No. 2 starter and the appreciation of Perez, who stuck around and was willing to wait through a rebuild for another chance at hitting postseason homers. Larry Fleisher, Forbes, 8 Oct. 2024 For the longest time the lament has been about un-banked segments of the population, and the need for financial institutions to spread their services across greater numbers, but for the problem of price controls. John Tamny, Forbes, 10 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for lament 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lament.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

Middle English lementen, from Middle French & Latin; Middle French lamenter, from Latin lamentari, from lamentum, noun, lament

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

circa 1592, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of lament was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near lament

Cite this Entry

“Lament.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lament. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

lament

1 of 2 verb
la·​ment lə-ˈment How to pronounce lament (audio)
1
: to mourn aloud : wail
2
: to express sorrow for : bewail
lamentation
ˌlam-ən-ˈtā-shən
noun

lament

2 of 2 noun
1
: a crying out in grief
2
: a mournful song or poem

More from Merriam-Webster on lament

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!