bemoan

[ bih-mohn ]
See synonyms for bemoan on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object)
  1. to express distress or grief over; lament: to bemoan one's fate.

  2. to regard with regret or disapproval.

Origin of bemoan

1
before 1000; be- + moan; replacing bemene,Middle English bimenen,Old English bimǣnan (bi-be- + mǣnan to moan)

Other words from bemoan

  • be·moan·ing·ly, adverb
  • un·be·moaned, adjective

Words Nearby bemoan

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use bemoan in a sentence

  • The English name was hateful, and he would rather die when Ireland was lost than live in England to bemoan it.

  • Even Catharine might never bemoan his wickednesses to her husband.

    Emily Bront | A. Mary F. (Agnes Mary Frances) Robinson
  • A young book-buyer might well turn out upon Primrose Hill and bemoan his youth, after comparing old catalogues with new.

    Obiter Dicta | Augustine Birrell
  • I know that you bemoan the manner in which he has been brought up; but such late repentance must be avoided like poison.

  • O the many weeks that I have had to sit with my mouth in the dust to bemoan my own inward misery!

British Dictionary definitions for bemoan

bemoan

/ (bɪˈməʊn) /


verb
  1. to grieve over (a loss, etc); mourn; lament (esp in the phrase bemoan one's fate)

Origin of bemoan

1
Old English bemǣnan; see be-, moan

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012