lament
Americanverb (used with object)
-
laments,
present (3rd person singular)
-
lamented,
past participle, past
-
lamenting
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
laments,
present (3rd person singular)
-
lamented,
past participle, past
-
lamenting
present participle
noun
-
laments
plural
-
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:
Saunders said she and her friends lament how challenging it has become for them to buy a home when compared to their parents or even their older siblings.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 16, 2026
Life begins as a fanfare — a regal entry heralded by brass — and ends as a solo cello lament and the serene acceptance of death as sung by a choir.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
Cassidy closed with what sounded like a lament.
From Slate ● Aug. 7, 2026
Bret may lament childhood’s demise, but if you had helicopter parents, these throes probably look less like trash than fire.
From Salon ● Aug. 6, 2026
My lament subsided into bitter tears that left me shaking as if all my limbs would come loose from my body.
From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein
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
Theirs is one of many “ethno-bubbles” Mr. Theroux encounters in Canada and quietly laments.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 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
This Son is a god who died in three hours, with moans, gasps and laments.
From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel
The blockbuster franchise has moved away from its emphasis on storytelling to prioritize big fights and action sequences, the “Spider-Noir” actor lamented during a recent appearance at Fan Expo Dallas.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
He's spruced up the White House, lamented that his new ballroom won't be finished in time and ensured a new marble helipad is ready to show off to the Chinese leader.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
"Normally, we guide around 20 pilots over the course of an hour. But right now, 40 are in the queue. Inevitably, delays build up," she lamented.
From Barron's ● Aug. 23, 2026
Others lamented the death of a “part of their childhood.”
From Salon ● Aug. 21, 2026
“They’re all alike,” lamented Sarai, after sampling a small forkful of her latest creation.
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
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
We observe them lamenting how powerless they feel: Their medical skills can do some good, but not nearly enough.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
Some in Labour were unhappy when Lennon didn't make the ballot for this contesting, lamenting a lack of breadth in the contest.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
He then sent out the names of the districts being targeted, quietly lamenting a few typos.
From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026
“Oh, my boy,” said he, in a lamenting tone.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
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.
