mourn
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
to feel very sad because someone you love has died.
to experience or express deep sorrow for a death. Ambitransitive — can be used with or without a direct object.
Simple“The whole city mourned the loss of the popular mayor.”
In context“Thousands gathered in the central square to mourn the victims of the tragedy, standing in silence for several minutes.”
PitfallThey mourned for their friend's death. They mourned their friend's death.While you can mourn 'for' a person, you usually mourn the death itself as a direct object.
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
to feel sad because something important has ended or changed.
to feel or express regret or sadness over the loss or end of something non-human.
Simple“Many people mourn the passing of the old traditions.”
In context“Environmentalists mourn the destruction of the ancient woodland, noting that such a diverse ecosystem can never truly be replaced.”
- 03 C1 Advanced
to follow the traditional rules for showing sadness after a death, like wearing black clothes.
to observe the conventional customs and outward signs of grief for a deceased person.
Simple“In the past, widows were expected to mourn for at least a year.”
In context“The nation will mourn for ten days, during which all flags will be flown at half-mast as a sign of respect.”
UsageOften used in the continuous form to describe a period of time.
Synonyms
“The gangs are saying: when we choose to attack, we can, and we will succeed.” Women mourn at the site of the attack in Kenscoff.”
“Those who mourn him should have space to respectfully do so.”
From Middle English mornen, mournen, from Old English murnan, from Proto-Germanic *murnaną. Cognate with French morne (“gloomy”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.