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

How Did Social Media React To Gene Hackman’s Passing? The response online has been one of collective grief and mourning. —Callum Booth, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2025

Here, mourning is not just an individual act but a communal experience. —Mathew Holloway, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Feb. 2025

Bambi lost her baby about three weeks ago, owner Nicole said via TikTok, and Bambi struggled with mourning, as any mother would. —Dan Perry, Newsweek, 19 Feb. 2025

Some of them tell stories and play games to pass the time, others are in mourning and some of them try to speak to the mysterious wilderness that has perhaps been responsible for some of the shocking events from the first two seasons. —Jackie Strause, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing mourning

• go into mourning
• mourning cloak
• mourning dove

Rhymes for mourning

• corning
• horning
• morning
• scorning
• warning
• adorning
• forewarning
• midmorning

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