noun
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a person who mourns, esp at a funeral
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(at US revivalist meetings) a person who repents publicly
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of mourner
Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at mourn, -er 1
Explanation
Anyone who is grieving for a person who has died is a mourner. Funerals give mourners the opportunity to remember and say goodbye to a loved one. While a mourner is anyone who mourns someone's death, the word is often used to mean "person attending a funeral." In some cultures, throughout history, professional mourners were people who were hired to publicly display their grief at the funeral of some well-known figure. Today, most mourners are family members and friends — people who knew the person well and grieve their death.
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:
Another mourner cited the product’s affordability, lamenting that Minute Maid’s frozen juice concentrates were “a must” for households that relied on WIC/SNAP benefits.
From Salon ● Feb. 6, 2026
"It could have been my son, quite simply," said one mourner, Mina, welling up with tears.
From Barron's ● Jan. 1, 2026
One mourner called KitKat ‘the best city bodega cat anyone could ever ask for. His lil pet requests meant a lot for some of us.’
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 2, 2025
“We’ll never forget you or the path you created for others!” cried out one mourner as the crowd dressed in black and white made its way from the church to the cemetery.
From Seattle Times ● May 28, 2024
For thirty years he was turning into teeth in Springfield, and neither she nor the mourner in the inappropriate dress could do a thing about it.
From "Jazz" by Toni Morrison
At the Kfar Aza kibbutz, which was also devastated by the attack, mourners sat in silence in assembled chairs as they watched the raising of an Israeli flag.
From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026
The Catholic service, conducted in Armenian, was open-casket, allowing mourners a final chance to say goodbye as they filed by the altar at the conclusion of the ceremony.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026
Thousands of mourners lined the streets as the king's casket was transported to the royal tombs in Fort Portal where a private ceremony took place.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
After Harald's death was announced early on Friday, crowds amassed at the royal palace in Oslo, laying flowers and flags, some mourners visibly in tears.
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026
Six hundred mourners were ushered into the East Room of the White House.
From "Lincoln's Last Days: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever" by Bill O'Reilly
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.
