condole

American  

[kuhn-dohl] / kənˈdoʊl /

verb (used without object)

• condoles,
  present (3rd person singular)
• condoled,
  past participle,  past
• condoling
  present participle

1. to express sympathy with a person who is suffering sorrow, misfortune, or grief (usually followed bywith ).

   to condole with a friend whose father has died.

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verb (used with object)

• condoles,
  present (3rd person singular)
• condoled,
  past participle,  past
• condoling
  present participle

1. Obsolete. to grieve with.

condole British  

/ kənˈdəʊl /

verb

1. to express sympathy with someone in grief, pain, etc

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• condoler
  noun
• condolatory
  adjective
• uncondolatory
  adjective
• uncondoled
  adjective
• uncondoling
  adjective
• condolingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• condoling
  present
• condoled
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• condole
  simple
• condoles
  simple
• have condoled
  perfect
• has condoled
  perfect
• am condoling
  progressive
• are condoling
  progressive
• is condoling
  progressive
• have been condoling
  perfect progressive
• has been condoling
  perfect progressive

Past

• condoled
  simple
• had condoled
  perfect
• was condoling
  progressive
• were condoling
  progressive
• had been condoling
  perfect progressive

Future

• will condole
  simple
• will have condoled
  perfect
• will be condoling
  progressive
• will have been condoling
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of condole

1580–90; < Late Latin condolēre, equivalent to con- con- + dolēre to feel pain; akin to dolor

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Explanation

When you condole, you express your sadness at someone's death. Sending a "condolence" card is one way to condole with someone who has lost a loved one. When my dog died, I found that other dog owners were more likely to condole with me, since those friends who never had a pet had a harder time understanding how profound my loss was. There are many ways to condole when someone needs comfort after having suffered a loss. You can send a card, you can visit, bring food, or just sit with them as they grieve. If you've lost someone too, then you condole by showing empathy. If not, then you can condole by just lending an ear.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

condole condoles condoled condoling

There will be time to collectively mourn, condole and rebuild, when they no longer are, when all communities are safe.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 10, 2025

I will definitely miss him and I condole with his family, his BBC fans and the BBC family.

From BBC ● Jan. 18, 2014

She played golf with him;, was always around to congratulate him or condole over his score.

From Time Magazine Archive

Last week Mrs. McGuire, owner of 40 dogs herself, hurried to Long Island to condole with Poopchin and the Pekes.

From Time Magazine Archive

I wipe the tears from your eyes, and condole with you on the loss of your brethren who have perished in this war.

From The Conspiracy of Pontiac and the Indian War after the Conquest of Canada by Francis Parkman

Her team listens, condoles with the families and tries to humanise the situation.

From BBC ● Jun. 17, 2026

In his best vestryman's voice, T. S. Eliot restates his cultured disenchantment with the wartime world and condoles with humanity, shivering in "the cold wind That blows before and after time."

From Time Magazine Archive

While the billow mournful rolls, And the mermaid's song condoles, Singing glory to the souls Of the brave!

From The Modern Scottish Minstrel, Volume II. The Songs of Scotland of the past half century by Charles Rogers

While the billow mournful rolls, And the mermaid’s song condoles, Singing glory to the souls Of the brave!

From The King's Own by Frederick Marryat

He is at Sorrento now, and chaffingly condoles with me on the remote prospects of a continental trip, at any rate on his account.

From Windyridge by W. Riley

Marcos Jr. visited Ramos’ wake Thursday and condoled with the family of Ramos, who, he said, “was a symbol of stability after all the tumultuous events of 1986.”

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 8, 2022

They condoled with her for the hate mail.

From The Guardian ● Sep. 22, 2019

"Mr. American, how come you haven't even condoled?"

From US News ● Oct. 22, 2014

Says Biographer Bowen: "The two women gossiped, lamented, condoled together, with freedom and zest, they had many vices and a few virtues in common."

From Time Magazine Archive

There were people who condoled with him, and offered to lend him sums of money—not large, but very useful to a starving man, one would have thought.

From World's End A Story in Three Books by Richard Jefferies

Lukashenko placed red roses at Makei’s coffin before his burial Tuesday and briefly touched the dead man’s arm, gazing at him for a few moments, dry-eyed, before condoling with Makei’s family.

From Washington Post ● Dec. 1, 2022

Now, I’m very sad to be condoling with his family and friends.

From Slate ● Oct. 31, 2020

These days you’ll see that condoling frowny face on nearly TV-news emissary.

From Time ● Oct. 31, 2014

To his headquarters at the Hotel Commodore in New York City had come more than 30,000 letters, in growing volume, most of them not condoling with him but urging him to continue his "crusade."

From Time Magazine Archive

Elizabeth sent her captive cousin very kind and condoling messages, dispatching, however, by the same messenger stringent orders to the commander of the castle to be sure and keep her safely.

From Mary Queen of Scots Makers of History by Jacob Abbott

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