bemoan

[bih-mohn]

verb (used with object)

1. to express distress or grief over; lament.

   to bemoan one's fate.

2. to regard with regret or disapproval.

bemoan

/ bɪˈməʊn /

verb

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

Other Word Forms

• bemoaningly adverb
• unbemoaned adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of bemoan¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of bemoan¹

Old English bemǣnan ; see _be- , _moan

Example Sentences

Many bemoan the interruption of the international break – Liverpool are currently struggling so badly they may just welcome the chance to clear their heads.

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Manager Brendan Rodgers bemoaned what was a "huge moment" when Celtic had an Iheanacho goal ruled out early in the second half against Sporting Braga.

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A few miles away, in the cafe at the city’s famed bookstore, Powell’s Books, a trio of retired friends bemoaned their beloved city’s negative image.

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In it, the father, Igor Kruglov bemoaned that “ten days have passed” and yet the investigation is “being conducted by one local sheriff.”

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A letter writer compared the Dodgers to Little Leaguers and bemoaned the team’s “silly” dancing and seed showers.

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Related Words

• deplore 
• lament 
• mourn 
• regret