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

Its living exhibits show moments from mankind’s relationship with technology: Mary Shelley (Sieh) mourns a child while giving Frankenstein’s monster life; a lonely nineteen-seventies roboticist (Ryan Spahn) calls his creation fondly by name; humans lose the robot war. —The New Yorker, 7 Feb. 2025

While many longtime fans of the ship have mourned the decision to sink it, the SS United States Conservancy and Okaloosa County say this was the only option to prevent the SS United States from being scrapped after it was evicted from its longtime Philadelphia pier. —Danny Freeman, CNN, 6 Feb. 2025

The Orlando Speed World Dragway (OSW) mourned the young driver’s death on Facebook. —Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 6 Feb. 2025

The station mourns the loss — but not loss of life — of its former captain as the title passes on to Judd (Jim Parrack). —Jennifer Maas, Variety, 4 Feb. 2025

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