mourning

noun

mourn·​ing ˈmȯr-niŋ 

1

: the act of sorrowing

She is still in mourning for her dead husband.

2

a

: an outward sign (such as black clothes or an armband) of grief for a person's death

lots of people there, and only one man in full mourning

—Arnold Bennett

b

: a period of time during which signs of grief are shown

after a long mourning, resume their ordinary dresses

—Henry Reed

Examples of mourning in a Sentence

a day of national mourning

She is still in mourning for her dead husband.

The whole town was in mourning.

a period of deep mourning

His widow was dressed in mourning.

Recent Examples on the Web

For almost three years, our morning routine has been one of mourning. —Gord Magill, Newsweek, 20 Dec. 2024

French President Emmanuel Macron has pledged to visit Mayotte soon and to declare a national mourning period. —Adrienne Surprenant and Tom Nouvian, Los Angeles Times, 17 Dec. 2024

Bodies are carried from the building, as men are heard wailing in mourning. —Victoria Beaule, ABC News, 16 Dec. 2024

Three days of mourning were announced and Bah Oury, as he is commonly known in Guinea, ordered the courts to open an investigation into the events in Nzerekore. —Adam Leventhal, The Athletic, 15 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing mourning

• go into mourning
• mourning cloak
• mourning dove

Kids Definition

mourning

noun

mourn·​ing ˈmōr-niŋ 

ˈmȯr-

1

: the act of grieving

2

: an outward sign (as black clothes or a black arm band) of grief for a person's death

to wear mourning

3

: a period of time during which signs of grief are shown