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lament

American  

[luh-ment] / ləˈmɛnt /

verb (used with object)

• laments,
  present (3rd person singular)
• lamented,
  past participle,  past
• lamenting
  present participle

1. 

   to feel or express sorrow or regret for.

   to lament his absence.

   Synonyms:

   deplore, bemoan, bewail

2. to mourn for or over.

   Synonyms:

   deplore, bemoan, bewail

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verb (used without object)

• laments,
  present (3rd person singular)
• lamented,
  past participle,  past
• lamenting
  present participle

1. to feel, show, or express grief, sorrow, or regret.

   Synonyms:

   weep, grieve

2. to mourn deeply.

   Synonyms:

   weep, grieve

noun

• laments
  plural

1. an expression of grief or sorrow.

   Synonyms:

   moan, lamentation

2. a formal expression of sorrow or mourning, especially in verse or song; an elegy or dirge.

   Synonyms:

   threnody, monody

lament British  

/ ləˈmɛnt /

verb

1. to feel or express sorrow, remorse, or regret (for or over)

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noun

1. an expression of sorrow

2. a poem or song in which a death is lamented

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• lamenter
  noun
• lamentingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• laments
  plural

Participles

• lamenting
  present
• lamented
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• lament
  simple
• laments
  simple
• have lamented
  perfect
• has lamented
  perfect
• am lamenting
  progressive
• are lamenting
  progressive
• is lamenting
  progressive
• have been lamenting
  perfect progressive
• has been lamenting
  perfect progressive

Past

• lamented
  simple
• had lamented
  perfect
• was lamenting
  progressive
• were lamenting
  progressive
• had been lamenting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will lament
  simple
• will have lamented
  perfect
• will be lamenting
  progressive
• will have been lamenting
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of lament

First recorded in 1520–30; (noun) from Latin lāmentum “plaint”; (verb) from Latin lāmentārī, derivative of lāmentum

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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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

lament laments lamented lamenting

Jesse Cohn, one of Elliott’s managing partners, took to X last month to lament the effect that retail, high-frequency and other traders are having on short-term price discovery.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026

Hydroelectric dams have proliferated across Southeast Asia in recent years, but production drops off in the dry season and critics lament the ecological impacts.

From Barron's ● Nov. 1, 2026

Former Treasury officials lament: "There is always a reason for procrastination."

From BBC ● Oct. 26, 2026

If the dog jumped the fence and dinged the neighbors’ cars, “you wouldn’t shake your head and lament about how the dog/whacker system had ‘gone rogue’ ” he observed.

From Slate ● Oct. 25, 2026

At this the bard set up a loud lament and bowed his head.

From "The Black Cauldron" by Lloyd Alexander

The brass band pauses, leaving a plaintive solo violin hanging in the air—in Bruch’s description, “an old bard who contemplates a ruined castle and laments the glorious times of old.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

Hutchins is pessimistic about staving off the ban and laments what it would mean for the city's famed French restaurants.

From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026

"Racing done for!" laments the Daily Star as the head of Betfred, Fred Done, says he "won't sponsor the Derby if bet shop tax rises".

From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026

McVay laments, usually lightheartedly, the loss of staff members that have ascended to become head coaches.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026

But now she laments that she never did anything to stop them.

From "The Joy Luck Club" by Amy Tan

But the entries to Eurovision Asia -- which unlike the original is organised by commercial broadcasters -- are mostly love songs, lamented Dean Vuletic, an author and expert on Eurovision.

From Barron's ● Nov. 8, 2026

Texas Governor-elect Gina Hinojosa lamented during her campaign that the state had become a “wild west” for data center development.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026

Yet diplomats lamented what they said was a lack of coordination close to home, despite a long-standing GCC mutual defense agreement.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2026

So many talented players of his generation lamented the presence of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, believing the 'Big Three' to be a blockade preventing them from becoming a Grand Slam champion.

From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2026

“Why should we believe a cobbler?” lamented Eva.

From "Salt to the Sea" by Ruta Sepetys

During his late-night appearance, Schreiber made it quite clear he has a bone to pick with increasingly reductive language, lamenting the use of emojis to communicate thoughts.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026

Another used A.I. to animate a photo of Walters, the digital replica lamenting his sentence of “death by incarceration.”

From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026

Former Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula also paid tribute to Tete, lamenting the loss of a "a great South African who has made an immense contribution in the sport of boxing".

From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026

"I was born in the Revolution and through it I was able to find my way," he said, lamenting the loss of Castro's leadership in Cuba today.

From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026

He was feeling sorry for himself, and lamenting the fact that his life could have changed so suddenly and so drastically.

From "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho

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Related Words

• bemoan
• deplore
• regret

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