noun
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a person who mourns, esp at a funeral
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(at US revivalist meetings) a person who repents publicly
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of mourner
Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at mourn, -er 1
Explanation
Anyone who is grieving for a person who has died is a mourner. Funerals give mourners the opportunity to remember and say goodbye to a loved one. While a mourner is anyone who mourns someone's death, the word is often used to mean "person attending a funeral." In some cultures, throughout history, professional mourners were people who were hired to publicly display their grief at the funeral of some well-known figure. Today, most mourners are family members and friends — people who knew the person well and grieve their death.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Another mourner cited the product’s affordability, lamenting that Minute Maid’s frozen juice concentrates were “a must” for households that relied on WIC/SNAP benefits.
From Salon ● Feb. 6, 2026
Mexican mourner Maotzin Contreras-Bejarano in Marchesi, dressed all in black but with her lips painted the famous red, told AFP: "I really wanted to be here, I had to be here."
From Barron's ● Jan. 21, 2026
One mourner called KitKat ‘the best city bodega cat anyone could ever ask for. His lil pet requests meant a lot for some of us.’
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 2, 2025
"Even in the grave, he still remains our hero," one mourner told the AFP news agency.
From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2025
Each mourner was to be taken to his own home.
From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith
During the funeral procession, some mourners shoulted, “Allahu Akbar!” or “God is great.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
At the funeral service in a church in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, mourners spoke of the mother's kindness, her love for her family and determination to succeed.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
Vice President JD Vance told the mourners Graham was an affable, gregarious politician who would slap Senate colleagues on the back and had a passion for engaging opponents in "swashbuckling" debate.
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
The late supreme leader's burial follows a multi-day funeral ceremony that attracted millions of mourners across various cities in both Iran and Iraq.
From Barron's ● Jul. 8, 2026
The mourners who had come with Sheik Hassoun filed to the bier and he read passages from the Koran.
From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
