lament
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
noun
-
an expression of grief or sorrow.
- Synonyms:
- moan, lamentation
-
a formal expression of sorrow or mourning, especially in verse or song; an elegy or dirge.
verb
noun
-
an expression of sorrow
-
a poem or song in which a death is lamented
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
lamentsimple
-
lamentssimple
-
have lamentedperfect
-
has lamentedperfect
-
am lamentingprogressive
-
are lamentingprogressive
-
is lamentingprogressive
-
have been lamentingperfect progressive
-
has been lamentingperfect progressive
Past
-
lamentedsimple
-
had lamentedperfect
-
was lamentingprogressive
-
were lamentingprogressive
-
had been lamentingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of lament
First recorded in 1520–30; (noun) from Latin lāmentum “plaint”; (verb) from Latin lāmentārī, derivative of lāmentum
Explanation
If you are really upset or sorry about something, you might lament it. A lament is full of regret and grief. If you lament something, then you feel sorry about it. You could lament a mistake you made, or you could lament a horrible thing that happened to a friend. Also, a lament is an expression of grief. So if you keep saying how sorry you are about something, someone could say, "Enough of your laments!" There's also an old literary form called "a lament," which expresses feelings of loss in a long dramatic poem.
Vocabulary lists containing lament
Night
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Christmas Carol Vocab: A Lyrical Lexicon
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The Alchemist
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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:
As performed by Price, Baez and Memphis Mariachi, their version of “Deportee” manages to be everything: a lament, a celebration of the lives lost, a tribute, a reminder.
From Salon ● Jul. 14, 2026
Recently I was talking to business leaders in Phoenix and their lament was not job loss but the inability to find the right workers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
In the past, she would lament to her friends while trying to understand her parents' behaviour.
From BBC ● Jun. 13, 2026
Even though the Bobcats’ shaky defense spotted USC two unearned runs, the Trojans will surely lament stranding runners in scoring position in each of the first seven innings.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 30, 2026
It was the lament sung at a funeral—a death song.
From "Copper Sun" by Sharon M. Draper
In her book, “A Mother’s Reckoning,” she laments not invading her son’s privacy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
"Blocks of flats are being built where there used to be one- or two-storey houses," he laments.
From Barron's ● Jul. 3, 2026
“Club Sport Marítimo de La Guaira profoundly laments the irreparable loss of the wife and sons of our player Lucas Trejo,” the team wrote.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026
The inspiration for the name comes from the Japanese term mottainai, which laments waste - think of the phrase "waste not, want not" and you have the sentiment.
From BBC ● Jun. 4, 2026
As he now laments, however, “It didn’t even occur to me to grab his radio, too.”
From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer
Actor Justin Baldoni and his wife, Emily, lamented trauma and pain endured by their family in their first public remarks after a long-running legal battle with co-star Blake Lively.
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
Some beachgoers have lamented that Laguna Beach’s policy is too restrictive, and that long days spent on the sand require more shade than a small umbrella provides, particularly for families with small children.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 5, 2026
Lawyers and advocates have lamented that this bedrock principle was even up for debate, let alone affirmed by anything less than unanimity among the justices.
From Salon ● Jul. 2, 2026
“For sure, I think we’re going home,” Scotland manager Steve Clarke lamented to the BBC.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026
“I only wish we could have gotten more clients to the top,” Rob lamented before continuing on his way.
From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer
The brother of the man who passed away when he was 70, having only claimed one Social Security check, was lamenting how he could have used that money to fund his retirement.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 2026
Topics related to Ma have generated millions of views on RedNote and other Chinese social media platforms, with some users rooting for him, and others lamenting about the state of sport in China.
From BBC ● Jun. 9, 2026
Any given search might surface a terse op-ed lamenting higher prices or news coverage of criticism by regulators and policymakers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026
Like Eagle Rockers, San Franciscans were done merely lamenting the community’s loss.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 21, 2026
Peter Tatakis was lamenting the fact that he would never have a widow to mourn his death.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
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.
